As I mentioned in my last post, I'm moving to Vegas. (Yeah, baby!!!) One would think that, since I'm spending so much time at home instead of out in public, that I'd be trigger-free.
WRONG!!! %')
I was fortunate that the friend who was taking care of Tooki (my bird) when I went to Vegas to look for apartments kept him for a few days beyond when I got back; but once I picked him up, I knew packing was going to go much more slowly. What can I say? I spoiled the little guy, so now all he wants to do is sit on my shoulder and nuzzle. That in itself is a comedic scene - especially when I'm constantly moving around and he's trying to keep his balance. I remember when I was packing in DC to come to the Midwest, I was on my hands and knees at one point, so he walked down to my butt. Anyway, the first day I had him back from my Vegas trip two weeks ago, he whined over and over and over... for a LOOOOONG time - even when he was on my shoulder. (He really must've been afraid that I'd leave him again.) I love him to pieces, but he's the one trigger that usually drives me away from my apartment. Unfortunately, I had to put up with it for the first day so that I didn't lose any momentum packing. I'm sure he missed me, even though he had another cockatiel playmate while I was gone, and he probably sensed something was up, given that it looked like a tornado hit inside the apartment. Luckily though, after a couple of days home with me, he relaxed a bit and was quiet when I put him on top of his cage with a treat while I packed a couple more boxes here and there.
I'm doing my best to not get too stressed out, knowing that stress increases my sensitivities to triggers. As I'm sure many of you know though, moving is more often than not EXTREMELY stressful. Between the fact that this is probably the worst time to move - with students going back to school - and other Murphy's Law things happening, I find myself trying (unsuccessfully) to practice my mindfulness meditation. Hopefully, once the movers pick up my things in two weeks and I get on the road, I'll be able to unwind. I find driving to be very relaxing, and given that it's going to take me at least 20 hours on the road (not including gas/food/stretching stops) to get there, I'll have plenty of time to meditate. (Don't worry... I'm going to stay
WRONG!!! %')
I was fortunate that the friend who was taking care of Tooki (my bird) when I went to Vegas to look for apartments kept him for a few days beyond when I got back; but once I picked him up, I knew packing was going to go much more slowly. What can I say? I spoiled the little guy, so now all he wants to do is sit on my shoulder and nuzzle. That in itself is a comedic scene - especially when I'm constantly moving around and he's trying to keep his balance. I remember when I was packing in DC to come to the Midwest, I was on my hands and knees at one point, so he walked down to my butt. Anyway, the first day I had him back from my Vegas trip two weeks ago, he whined over and over and over... for a LOOOOONG time - even when he was on my shoulder. (He really must've been afraid that I'd leave him again.) I love him to pieces, but he's the one trigger that usually drives me away from my apartment. Unfortunately, I had to put up with it for the first day so that I didn't lose any momentum packing. I'm sure he missed me, even though he had another cockatiel playmate while I was gone, and he probably sensed something was up, given that it looked like a tornado hit inside the apartment. Luckily though, after a couple of days home with me, he relaxed a bit and was quiet when I put him on top of his cage with a treat while I packed a couple more boxes here and there.
I'm doing my best to not get too stressed out, knowing that stress increases my sensitivities to triggers. As I'm sure many of you know though, moving is more often than not EXTREMELY stressful. Between the fact that this is probably the worst time to move - with students going back to school - and other Murphy's Law things happening, I find myself trying (unsuccessfully) to practice my mindfulness meditation. Hopefully, once the movers pick up my things in two weeks and I get on the road, I'll be able to unwind. I find driving to be very relaxing, and given that it's going to take me at least 20 hours on the road (not including gas/food/stretching stops) to get there, I'll have plenty of time to meditate. (Don't worry... I'm going to stay
Valentine's Day tea in London, after my fMRI test at a hotel in Denver overnight, which is almost an exact halfway point on my journey to Vegas.) Once I arrive in Vegas, I'm planning to go to the spa for a day to REALLY relax. (It's amazing what a 80 minute hot stone massage with soft lighting and soothing music can do.) I'm also going to bring back my tradition of enjoying a traditional afternoon tea the day before I start the new job. I want to be refreshed and ready to hit the ground running on my first day.
My fingers are also crossed that my new work environment will be better than my last company. From what I saw during my brief visit two weeks ago, at least they've got carpet, higher partitions on the cubicles, and the acoustic tile ceiling is VERY high. It seemed pretty quiet, but of course time will tell... They didn't know where I was going to be sitting yet, so I asked that they try to put me in a low-traffic area. I didn't specifically tell them about my misophonia, just that I'm sensitive to noise distractions. I want to wait to say anything until absolutely necessary and even then, I want to make a good impression on them first before mentioning anything about my misophonia. I figure that once people get to know and like me, it will be easier to get them to understand and be compassionate about my condition. We'll see what happens...
My fingers are also crossed that my new work environment will be better than my last company. From what I saw during my brief visit two weeks ago, at least they've got carpet, higher partitions on the cubicles, and the acoustic tile ceiling is VERY high. It seemed pretty quiet, but of course time will tell... They didn't know where I was going to be sitting yet, so I asked that they try to put me in a low-traffic area. I didn't specifically tell them about my misophonia, just that I'm sensitive to noise distractions. I want to wait to say anything until absolutely necessary and even then, I want to make a good impression on them first before mentioning anything about my misophonia. I figure that once people get to know and like me, it will be easier to get them to understand and be compassionate about my condition. We'll see what happens...
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