How do people deal with symptoms getting worse at the start and no progress in the first months?

I'm starting this journey again and the last time I tried, things just did not get better within a month which made me stop once i had too many other stressors. How do you lovely folks go about that?

 

I'm back and forth on TMS, but giving it my best efforts again now. I try to frame the worsening of symptoms as a positive - it means my brain knows I'm on to it and it's fighting back. I didn't end up in pain in just a few days, all of this took a build up of years, so I tell myself it's not realistic to assume I'll be out of pain that quickly. There are people who have book cures and never look back, but that's more the exception anymore than the rule. More often than not, some end up back in pain because they never truly worked through the issues.

 

By fostering an attitude of dogged determination to keep going. @Cactusflower suggested a plan to follow in her posting to you in this thread https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/seeking-guidance-for-hyperacusis.33075/#post-167893 and Cactus knows what she's talking about as she's gone from being bedridden with TMS symptoms to functioning really well.

Key Strategies for Persistence

• Commit to daily brain retraining exercises like journaling emotions, gentle movement (e.g., walking or stretches), and stress reduction techniques such as meditation or breathwork to build resilience against triggers.
  
• Accept fluctuations without fixating on timelines; focus on feeling emotions in real-time and resuming activities you enjoy to reinforce safety in your body.
  
• Offload stressors by simplifying life—say no to non-essentials, prioritize self-care, and use tools like expressive writing to process repressed feelings.