Best Daily Practices To Aid Chronic Dizziness Recovery
There are many written, spoken, physical and spiritual practices that aid the process of neuroplasticity. Pick the type of practice that feels best to you.
Somatic tracking
This practice allows you to be with your symptoms and observe them without judgement. Although difficult at first, I did this daily to help overcome my fear of the symptoms. It took about 2 months to really feel a difference from this, however it is a very powerful tool that I recommend to everyone!
Be patient with yourself during this exercise. It’s important that you try to feel as calm as possible so your brain learns that you’re safe.
Parasympathetic breathing
This tool was monumental in my healing journey, especially at the beginning. It may sound simple, (because it is!) however that doesn’t mean it’s easy. This exercise gets you to do deep diaphragmatic breathing to calm your nervous system. Remaining calm during a panic attack or whilst your symptoms are heightened is extremely challenging, but possible with this tool.
I utilised this tool whenever I felt an increase in symptoms, during VRT and before and after doing an activity that would normally trigger me. Again it took a few months to feel an improvement from this, but I kept going and it was worth it!
I recommend to do this exercise throughout the day whenever you feel stressed or if your thoughts are beginning to spiral. It’s a great opportunity to be with your body and remind yourself that you are safe.
Walking
It is very important for neuroplasticity to give your brain new stimulation each day. Without this, how can it adapt!? During the worst of my PPPD I could barely walk 2 minutes down the road, however, trying to get outside as much as I could was so beneficial to my healing.
Not only is being outside good for your mental health, it’s good for your entire body, especially if you experience fatigue! Your body is not making enough energy to sustain normal life activities for a few reasons: 1) Fear and stress have depleted the adrenal system. 2) You have stopped regular movement because of the symptoms.
Once you resume walking each day, your body will realise that it needs to create more energy for the amount of movement you’re doing. It doesn’t take as long as you’d think for the body to create enough energy.
I was once completely fatigued whilst walking and could only manage 30 seconds at a time. However I kept pushing myself and after a few days I could make it 5 minutes, and so on. Walking is probably the best form of VRT (Vestibular rehabilitation therapy) you can do.
Meditation
If you’re anything like I was, you may sometimes find it challenging to meditate with your eyes closed due to the symptoms. So I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to do it that way! There are so many different forms of meditation you can try instead.
For example, I would just listen to calming music and let my thoughts drift to something positive. I would think about my ideal life and visualise it as much as I could. Not only did I feel calmer afterwards, I felt more optimistic. Give this a try when you feel as though you need a moment away from reality. Of course you can meditate with your eyes closed eventually as it will really help you feel calm. However for now, do whatever feels most comfortable, there is no wrong way to meditate.
Journalling
Another fabulous tool I used frequently. This is wonderful for getting your thoughts and emotions out of your subconscious so you can feel and work through them. It’s essential that you don’t let your negative emotions build up inside you with nowhere to go. Remember, that’s most likely one of the reasons you are still experiencing symptoms. Let them out!
If you feel stuck with what to write, try beginning with what you did that day, include something good that happened, something you are grateful for, something you appreciate and of course, something that made you upset or angry. All emotions are safe to express.