[Tad Cooper]

Okay, I'll do this in two parts and it'd be great if you could say any advice/thoughts on either part or both

Part 1: The Voice

An example of this:
I go to bed and go to sleep, really exhausted. I wake up at 4-6am in the morning, don't need to be up until 8:30am. Then my mind activates and the voice says "You need to get up and do -insert something like work here-"
I don't have any real work to do. I don't want to get up and be tired for class. I lay in bed. The voice persists and demands I get up and do something constructive. (I argue mentally, saying I can do it later, but it insists now because then I could do more later).

Basically, I'm having issues with myself pushing me very hard and it's affecting my sleep. I can't seem to stay asleep at night (I wake up alot and have to force myself back to sleep, ending up with broken sleep and tiredness).

The voice doesn't stop with sleep though. I have to be rewarded for doing well with food, drink, fun etc. If I haven't done what it wants it tries to deny me basic things. (i.e. I'm hungry, but it says I can have food until I've done such and such. I'm thirsty but it says I have to wait 5 minutes more etc).

Any advice to get rid of this voice? Any advice on sleep? (NB - I was insomniatic for a while with depression and it seems to be the part that's stuck around while the other symptoms have gone).
My sister said it sounds like it's a self confidence/esteem thing going on, but I'm not sure really.


Part 2: Friends/People

I'm finding it hard to connect with/see people at the moment.
I go to class, text and use FB, but find it hard to push myself to see anyone or contact people to meet up. I generally feel like people aren't quite close enough for me to care for them and care about seeing them (only a couple of people escape this, an ISFJ friend and my family).

My thoughts/feelings on people?
They irritate me? I get physically close and feel my teeth grit and want to leave. They keep talking and I think about going. I just want to go. One guy is lovely, but always pops up and keeps asking to hang out all the time, which I don't want to do and I usually make excuses and leave. This feeling got alot worse once he kept insisting I go to the gym WITH him and I don't like going to the gym with anyone.

They make me anxious? Certain people freak me out. I have a few guy friends who freak me out and one or two girl friends. They're so unpredictable and react strangely to me. i.e. one girl finishes all my sentences. One guy goes to me for loads of support then boasts how he's amazing at things. One guy can't seem to decide on morals and switches between varying ideals (i.e. being vegan but eating any food, even meat, if left over).

They confuse me? I am great with people generally, but I find myself fleeing when things get at all intense. For me, intense can be anything like asking me to meet up after class though. I'm meeting a friend after class and feel really confused about why she wants to meet up. Why not someone she normally hangs out with? Also, as mentioned, people are random and strange around me.

Thanks and any replies would be great

 

[bellisaurius]

Your internal monologue's gone bad. There are a couple things you can do. One, which I started doing a long time ago is to give your monologue a face of someone (mine's used to be whoever I was crushing on on at the time) you'll pay rapt attention to. The monologue will still say things you don't want to hear, but it will be more in your control as you'll be in a dialogue with it.

You're monologue is also an internal thing, running through your vocal processing center, and requiring feedback from your vocal cords. Try to imagine the monologue as coming from your own voice box. After you do this, relax or tighten the vocal cords as if you weren't talking. It'll break up the feedback loop.

 

[Tad Cooper]

Your internal monologue's gone bad. There are a couple things you can do. One, which I started doing a long time ago is to give your monologue a face of someone (mine's used to be whoever I was crushing on on at the time) you'll pay rapt attention to. The monologue will still say things you don't want to hear, but it will be more in your control as you'll be in a dialogue with it.

You're monologue is also an internal thing, running through your vocal processing center, and requiring feedback from your vocal cords. Try to imagine the monologue as coming from your own voice box. After you do this, relax or tighten the vocal cords as if you weren't talking. It'll break up the feedback loop.

Ah, but I don't want to listen to it, because it puts too much pressure on me. It's like a demanding parent (like the guy from Bigger Than Life) who wont let me rest until it's satisfied I'm done. The thing is, it demands I do work not due for weeks, or demands I do work that's basically not even there >_>;
How do you do the vocal chord thing?
Thanks by the way!!

 

[bellisaurius]

Ah, but I don't want to listen to it, because it puts too much pressure on me. It's like a demanding parent (like the guy from Bigger Than Life) who wont let me rest until it's satisfied I'm done. The thing is, it demands I do work not due for weeks, or demands I do work that's basically not even there >_>;
How do you do the vocal chord thing?
Thanks by the way!!

The vocal cord thing? OK. For a second, sit down and relax. Imagine you're picking up a glass. Can you feel the muscles tense ever so lightly? That's because when you think about something, your brain is sending signals to prepare to do it.

Now imagine you're lalala, then ahhhh. It should feel like two different places, one your tongue, the other your throat (voice box, particular). Practice the feeling a couple times, and when the voice is going, use the ahhh in a loud way. It'll be hard for the voice to "talk" over it because the muscles are in use.

Itend to think of it as a temporary measure, but banaids can be pretty useful.

 

[Tad Cooper]

Thanks I'll try that Very helpful!!!

Any advice on the other thing or any other opinions?

 

[bellisaurius]

The second one sounds pretty normal; not really like a big problems. You might ask yourself: Do you want to be more social, or do you feel you should be more social? If it's the later, that's just your conscience nipping at you for some reason or other. If it's the former, I get a weird sort of "I don;t trust people vibe", and I'd imagine that's what you'd have to work on, but based on what you said though, I don;t really think you trust less than most.

 

[Tad Cooper]

Thanks very much I'll try out what you said!