Weekly Journal
I had a good week!
I can't believe that last Friday I was at FWA attending my first writing panels. TIme flies, especially when you're having fun!
FWA 2010 was an all-around great experience. I had more fun, and less trouble with anxiety, at this con than any of the ones I've attended in the past. This was partially due to my awesome roommates Scape (mah hubby, of course), Kiwaku Fox, and Ayulf who, along with myself, kept things low-key in the room. My roommates were super awesome last year too, but I think I was in a worse place with my anxiety then, and I had not yet learned to take care of myself to minimize it. Does that make sense?
I know I said I wouldn't focus much on my issues, but I know so many furs with anxiety problems that maybe it would be helpful to them if I listed some of my coping strategies (behind the cut):
Breathe. You'd be surprised what a little oxygen can do for the brain. Breathe in, breathe out. Do it slowly and it tells the more "animal" parts of your brain that you are, indeed, safe and relaxed.
Close your Eyes. Fur cons are pretty intense. My experience this year was that I walked into this gorgeous hotel only to be bombarded with SOUND! and COLOR! And people behaving, by the world's standards, quite strangely! And to make it more difficult, there were many brands of "strange" going on at the same time from different groups, so... it was kinda hard to blend in. I'm a "rules" kind of girl. Give me the basic rules of behavior for a certain situation, and generally I'm fine. I can sort of know what to expect and how to respond to people. However, at a con, you've got about 25 different sets of rules going on around you and you wonder which one you should follow, and who you are going to offend and... it gets overwhelming. Stop. Close your eyes. The sound continues around you, yes, but that few moments of darkness can help your brain process the sensory overload.
Diet! This is a big one. There is nothing worse for anxiety than being strung out on sugar and caffeine, or just feeling bloated and lethargic. Scape and I are on a budget. Usually we plan to eat two meals in the room from food that we brought, and one meal out per day. Of course we brought the normal snacky con-foods, but we also brought fruit and veggies. Some ideas: apples with peanut butter, baby carrots, celery, grapes, bread for pb and j sandwiches, tuna (that stuff packed in bags with sunflower oil is delicious and easy to manage), crackers, granola bars, etc... Our one meal out I tried to get something marginally healthy. Asian food typically at least has lots of veggies. That sushi place at the mall was great, and the noodle place too.
Hydration! Drink your water, people. Dehydration can make you feel tired and cranky, out-of-sorts, hungry, headachey, and generally blah.
Sleep! The only day I felt panicky at the con was Sunday. I hadn't gotten enough sleep Saturday night, the con was ending, I felt like I might have shared a little too much at one of the panels, and I started feeling a panic-attack coming on. Managed to ward it off, but still not a pleasant feeling.
Give Yourself a Purpose. I think attending panels this year really helped keep me calm. It inserted a little bit of structure into a free-for-all kind of weekend. Those of you who saw me break my pen in one of the panels know what lack of structure can do to me! LOL
Soothing Activities. For me, it's knitting. I'm sure lots of furs saw me sitting in a nice corner downstairs knitting, or walking through the con knitting, or waiting for a panel to start knitting.... you get the idea. It doesn't have to be knitting. A worry stone to rub can be calming. Having a soft plushie to pet can be calming (and is perfectly acceptable at a fur con - yay!).
Those are the major points anyway. I think we all have our coping mechanisms. I'd be interested to hear what others do to calm their anxieties.
For now, it's off to work with me!
PS - anyone know why my cut didn't work?
ETA - OK I admit I was also panicky in the Reg line. But then, who wouldn't be? *shudder*
I can't believe that last Friday I was at FWA attending my first writing panels. TIme flies, especially when you're having fun!
FWA 2010 was an all-around great experience. I had more fun, and less trouble with anxiety, at this con than any of the ones I've attended in the past. This was partially due to my awesome roommates Scape (mah hubby, of course), Kiwaku Fox, and Ayulf who, along with myself, kept things low-key in the room. My roommates were super awesome last year too, but I think I was in a worse place with my anxiety then, and I had not yet learned to take care of myself to minimize it. Does that make sense?
I know I said I wouldn't focus much on my issues, but I know so many furs with anxiety problems that maybe it would be helpful to them if I listed some of my coping strategies (behind the cut):
Breathe. You'd be surprised what a little oxygen can do for the brain. Breathe in, breathe out. Do it slowly and it tells the more "animal" parts of your brain that you are, indeed, safe and relaxed.
Close your Eyes. Fur cons are pretty intense. My experience this year was that I walked into this gorgeous hotel only to be bombarded with SOUND! and COLOR! And people behaving, by the world's standards, quite strangely! And to make it more difficult, there were many brands of "strange" going on at the same time from different groups, so... it was kinda hard to blend in. I'm a "rules" kind of girl. Give me the basic rules of behavior for a certain situation, and generally I'm fine. I can sort of know what to expect and how to respond to people. However, at a con, you've got about 25 different sets of rules going on around you and you wonder which one you should follow, and who you are going to offend and... it gets overwhelming. Stop. Close your eyes. The sound continues around you, yes, but that few moments of darkness can help your brain process the sensory overload.
Diet! This is a big one. There is nothing worse for anxiety than being strung out on sugar and caffeine, or just feeling bloated and lethargic. Scape and I are on a budget. Usually we plan to eat two meals in the room from food that we brought, and one meal out per day. Of course we brought the normal snacky con-foods, but we also brought fruit and veggies. Some ideas: apples with peanut butter, baby carrots, celery, grapes, bread for pb and j sandwiches, tuna (that stuff packed in bags with sunflower oil is delicious and easy to manage), crackers, granola bars, etc... Our one meal out I tried to get something marginally healthy. Asian food typically at least has lots of veggies. That sushi place at the mall was great, and the noodle place too.
Hydration! Drink your water, people. Dehydration can make you feel tired and cranky, out-of-sorts, hungry, headachey, and generally blah.
Sleep! The only day I felt panicky at the con was Sunday. I hadn't gotten enough sleep Saturday night, the con was ending, I felt like I might have shared a little too much at one of the panels, and I started feeling a panic-attack coming on. Managed to ward it off, but still not a pleasant feeling.
Give Yourself a Purpose. I think attending panels this year really helped keep me calm. It inserted a little bit of structure into a free-for-all kind of weekend. Those of you who saw me break my pen in one of the panels know what lack of structure can do to me! LOL
Soothing Activities. For me, it's knitting. I'm sure lots of furs saw me sitting in a nice corner downstairs knitting, or walking through the con knitting, or waiting for a panel to start knitting.... you get the idea. It doesn't have to be knitting. A worry stone to rub can be calming. Having a soft plushie to pet can be calming (and is perfectly acceptable at a fur con - yay!).
Those are the major points anyway. I think we all have our coping mechanisms. I'd be interested to hear what others do to calm their anxieties.
For now, it's off to work with me!
PS - anyone know why my cut didn't work?
ETA - OK I admit I was also panicky in the Reg line. But then, who wouldn't be? *shudder*