Not sleeping at all 🥲

tracies1996
tracies1996 Community Member Posts: 86 Connected
in Mental health and wellbeing

I have many mental health problems, and alcohol addiction as have ptsd from sexual assault. I applied for pip two months ago and waiting for outcome and it’s just making me spiral even more . I’m surviving on about an hour , 2 at most sleep and so run down . My IBS , is bad , I’m having panic attacks and wish I’d not even applied for pip now even though benefit advisor told me to , but my brain doesn’t function well with change or stress I just get manic and make myself unwell . I struggle to get through every day life as it is so I hate that I have this added stress . The horror stories I read about this bloody pip just makes me feel ill. Feel like I’m losing my mind . I try so hard to get by each day but it’s difficult. Hugs to anyone else who’s struggling right now also . 🥰

Comments

  • durhamjaide2001
    durhamjaide2001 Scope Member Posts: 15,455 Championing

    sorry to hear that you aren't sleeping at all what helps me when I'm not sleeping is listening to meditation on YouTube and you can get pillow spray and rescue drops that goes on the tip of your tongue I hope these suggestions help

  • tracies1996
    tracies1996 Community Member Posts: 86 Connected

    Thank you @durhamjaide2001 il give these a try as feel like I’m losing my mind it’s awful. What’s best rescue drops so I can have a look ? And pillow spray ? I do listen to a thunderstorm app at times but that’s stopped working for me as I’m so highly strung . My mind is constantly 100 miles an hour. X

  • Albus_Alumni
    Albus_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 11,423 Championing

    Sorry this is effecting you so much @tracies1996 I remember how stressed I was when I first applied for PIP, when I was dealing with extreme anxiety and freshly diagnoses PTSD, it wasn't fun. My best piece of advice is try to keep busy and try not to think about your PIP application. Easier said than done I know, but it's worth remembering you only ever hear about the bad experiences people have, never the good ones. Many people are claiming PIP with no bad experiences.

    Have you spoken to your GP about how it's been making you feel?

    I'll pop you an email in a bit, so please be on the look out for it. ☺️

  • tracies1996
    tracies1996 Community Member Posts: 86 Connected

    Thank you @Albus_Scope and @MW123 your right it’s exhausting. I could have applied a few years ago now but I refused to because I found it hard enough when fought for esa and I did appeal that but was soul destroying and draining .Struggling with my mental health etc is bad enough. I only applied as my benefit advisor lady talked me round and said look you really should it will help you massively. I wish I was a person who didn’t overthink or spiral or have the worst panic attacks it’s like my brain is wired totally wrong at times . I would love to be that person who never worries or suffers ptsd or flashbacks . I guess I should be proud I did apply though and I’m always trying small steps to accept help again from counselling etc. ( I hate appointments of any kind or talking on phone lol ) but I know I must try and push myself at times . Thank you for replying to me and sorry for your hard times too. X this forum btw is full of lovely kind people I really appreciate it x

  • Leelitsa
    Leelitsa Community Member Posts: 37 Contributor

    @tracies1996

    Hi there. I can really relate to you and some of your conditions and other conditions I have doesn’t help and makes it more difficult and impacts severely on our conditions of the fear we face due the uncertainty for being in the hands of dwp. We have added stress or losing our benefits. We think we’re the only ones but we are not alone trying to survive just from being unwell never mind the uncertainty of our own circumstances and situation we’re in. I sent off my pip review form 4 months ago it’s not even been looked at yet. It’s stressful as the first time I did it!

    I sometimes think is it worth the hassle, the upheaval, anxiety and fear and then I think I don’t have any choice. I am so tired of fighting the world but I have no choice it would certainly affect my life if I lost pip due to my circumstances and situation in my time of need. My circumstances are very bad at the moment and I can’t see a way out and it makes me think of bad things all the time, I think anyone reading this would know what I meant. So sorry I don’t mean to be feeling so low but I have no one who understands to reach out to.

    I wish everyone all the best luck and God bless.❤️🙏

  • tracies1996
    tracies1996 Community Member Posts: 86 Connected

    So sorry you are so low too lovely @Leelitsa . You’re right we rely on what we get but it’s sooo much stress which as anyone knows stress and anxiety can bring on so much more it’s not as black and white as the government might think . Things like this make me spiral more and I self destruct which isn’t good at all . All I want in life is to find some peace and try manage day to day but it’s never really possible. We don’t ask to be this way , unfortunately things in life happen to us and mess us up. In my life I’ve just came across very bad ppl from a young age which carried on through life . So if I get one day out of the month where I feel ok I’m thankful as a lot of my days ain’t so . I hope you get some good days hun and I hope you hear good news about your pip soon .Fingers crossed 🤞 . 🥰

  • Leelitsa
    Leelitsa Community Member Posts: 37 Contributor

    Hi @tracies1996,

    Thank you for replying back to me, I really appreciate it. You have helped me feel valued just by replying and grateful.🙏

    Goodness 🙆🏻‍♀️ I also have suffered in the hands of some bad ppl for many years of my life and it really badly messed me up too. Also one of my mental health conditions is ptsd due nearly passing away. Thank goodness am here still.🙏

    We have come a long way and like others on here too.

    Wish you many good days and finding that precious peace and happiness. Also wish you very best outcome on your pip claim.🤞

    All the best my lovely.❤️

  • durhamjaide2001
    durhamjaide2001 Scope Member Posts: 15,455 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1072766#Comment_1072766

    I am glad that I managed to help a tiny bit

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,170 Championing
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  • tracies1996
    tracies1996 Community Member Posts: 86 Connected

    @Passerby yeh it’s definitely made me spiral mentally .😩

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  • StarryEyed
    StarryEyed Community Member Posts: 1,252 Trailblazing

    Hi @tracies1996 👋🏼💓

    Speaking to you as someone with problems with panic due to trauma, I'm wondering if you're panicked and would benefit from my latest favourite mental health tool. It's called bilateralul music. It has to be listened to with a headset or earbuds. It is supposed to help you process thoughts and emotions. In my experience, in a panic state, the nonverbal (instinct) side of my brain is screaming for attention. So the nonverbal bilateral music helps me process these thoughts and feelings, and it's incredible how quickly I can calm down. I can go from a 10 to a 3 in an hour. I also use it as prevention, if I feel anxious.

    Here is my favourite playlist. I hope this helps....

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lckpq2WE4J8tXZ3bwSd-YMp2GHCgH7u8A&si=2_ntVM_DXVLgqay8

  • Amazonianup
    Amazonianup Community Member Posts: 133 Empowering
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/138957/not-sleeping-at-all

    Bless you. Dont worry about the sleep as in dont fight it and keep trying to sleep when in an aroused state it usually makes it worse stressing about it. Try asking for a med that isnt a benzodiazapine that you can go up and down on so no tolerance. Maybe ask quetiapine off label you probs find first time knock you out and you can hover around 150mg and increase 300mg when you really need to. A low level dose constant would avoid withdrawl but you can go up when high arousal. Drs dont seem to worry about abuse if you explain. I found daridaroxent works. if you have ptsd you take it everynight but if you need to get up in morning its so hard to do an not something take all time and also takes time to work in system. For IBS i take pepcol and this helps do you find with anxiety and stress that you get other pains in body same time which can be scary? I only find alcohol stop this?

    I never had a prob with pip because i think on paper i was homeless but LCWRA and everything else i have found nightmare. Its easy to say not to worry but your right to worry its just likely you will probably overthink and overstress and you cant control that much just accept it an try to just manage your symptoms or situation. I slow alcohol and saved it towards bed time and reduce it alot.

    its painful and difficult to function but i eventually got a puppy that while world falls apart i have to take care of him, but i dont think your at that stage but that routine as commitment helps but is taxing. I find if adrenaline is high in evening i used to have beer but i never span out of control but i take clonodine and now and this helps heart rate but honestly if your adrenaline is high nothing is going to slow it down really. You can try hot baths over a few days to continually to take stress out body as part of routine before bed.

    You can try holding shoulders up high squeezing tension (like a long shrug) and letting go this can help remove tension of stress by alot like euphoric, but this isnt something you can keep constantly doing the anxiety is always going to be there. If you keep thinking about suicide im supposed to say get help? i find loud music anything and try do something that you need to do thats repetitive an easy or think about a happy memory that can make you laugh?

    Good luck

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