Be Prepared

 

 

I haven’t been a Girl Scout for more than 45 years. The badges are long gone. I forget the handshake and the name of my troop leader. But the motto still regularly comes to mind. “Be prepared.”

A few posts back, I wrote about the benefits of not trying to manage depression, panic, and PTSD on my own. My wellness plan includes regular practice of coping skills, medication, lifestyle changes, and weekly therapy. And, yesterday, when I wrecked my car on a telephone pole, I was reminded of just how important is to have a full spectrum of support systems in place.

I used mindful breathing and wise mind when it first happened to call the police, complete the police report, text Fred to have him call my therapist, and contact the insurance company. I heard myself talking too fast to the police and observed that I was beginning to panic, so I began to silently count as I was breathing. Counting engaged a different part of my brain, enabling me to stop “crisis” thinking and slow down.

When I arrived home, however, I began shaking and became tearful. My sympathetic nervous system was highly aroused. My head hurt. And I was suddenly overwhelmed with fearful feelings and judgmental thoughts. I tried to get myself back to “base line.” I self-soothed with a cup of cocoa. I walked around the block to use up some adrenalin. I talked to Fred for encouraging, comforting words. It was a beautiful day so I went outside and mindfully looked at all the flowers coming up. Over the next hour, it seemed that I used every DBT skill in the book and I was still right at the edge of a full blown panic attack.

That’s when my therapist called. Making coaching phone calls are part of a trained DBT therapist’s tool box. She was encouraging, validating, and comforting which helped a lot. She also said something that finally helped me “turn” my mind. “Just give it some time,” she said. “As time passes, this will get resolved and you’ll move on. You’ll be okay.” Those gentle and positive words were just what I needed to help me get unstuck and put things into perspective.

I don’t know why I couldn’t find those words within my own mind and calm myself down. Hopefully, someday I will. But for today, I’m grateful that I have people, plans, and procedures in place to help me when I start to unravel. “Be prepared.” Still a good motto even after all these years.