View Full Version : Anyone else not liking this ALS Ice Bucket Challage?
Hi there, I have worried about ALS so this whole ice water bucket taking over everything like Facebook, the newspapers magizines and TV EVERYWHERE!! Anyone else feel the same as me is this hunting there fears like it does me and I'm nervous someone will nominate me for it, I don't think I can do it. To scared to. So please comment on this it will make me feel better!
I was waiting for somebody just ask this question. If this was a year ago I would be terrified of this ice bucket challenge. I would think it was some kind of horrible sign that I was gonna get the disease. ALS is utterly terrifying. But that thought process is irrational. You know that. I say take the challenge and raise awareness for the disease. A disease that you have probably .003 chance of getting. I truly believe the ice bucket challenge is doing wonders to raise awareness for the disease and to raise money. I did it and if I had the money I would donate it.
I was waiting too, so I thought I would post this cause I needed to be reminded that this to shall pass as they say.
Superstition is one thing you can not afford to have with anxiety. I remember when I was feeling especially scared about cancer I started noticing every television ad about it and feeling similar to how you describe. Try to acknowledge your fears as what they are, fears (though I know that's easier said than done), and relax (also easier said than done). :)
Hi there, I have worried about ALS so this whole ice water bucket taking over everything like Facebook, the newspapers magizines and TV EVERYWHERE!! Anyone else feel the same as me is this hunting there fears like it does me and I'm nervous someone will nominate me for it, I don't think I can do it. To scared to. So please comment on this it will make me feel better!
You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's as simple as that.
If you actually do want to help this or any other charity there are dozens of alternative things you can do instead.
I agree with not having to do it if you were nominated. If I was nominated there would be zero chance of me doing it. If I was going to donate I would do it privately. I do understand that it raises awareness but of the very few people I know of who have did it, they have did it 'for the crack'. It's getting to be a bit show offy in my opinion.
Think of it this way. Last year at this time they had raised around $22K. This year, because of this challenge, over $1.5 million. It's brought enormous awareness to a very serious disease. It's a huge positive that will help researchers find better treatments and possibly a cure.
I've done it and donated. I think all that have this fear should do it and donate as a way to face it and say FU to the fear!
The deal is do the challenge and donate $10 or refuse and donate $100. Many, including myself did the challenge and donated a lot more than $10.
If I hadn't challenged three people already I'd challenge all that posted on this thread! ;)
Positive thoughts
I originally was a little triggered, but it really has grown a lot of awareness. I chickened out and did not dump the ice on myself, but we just donated instead. I'm a baby! lol But the money is needed, as I read somewhere that there has not been a lot of progress in the search for a cure.
nomorepanic
24-08-14, 15:19
Isn't it risky for some people to do this?
Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure and pregnant.
It is not something I would risk doing myself to be honest.
You know to be honest though, the more I see it everywhere, the less I am fearing, which I didn't see it as possible and I know it's for the cause, I guess it's true exposure therapy can work. Everyone has said some really great positive things on the ice bucket challenge and I'm realizing it's more of a positive then a negative. Thanks for all your help in your posts! :hugs:
Isn't it risky for some people to do this?
Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure and pregnant.
It is not something I would risk doing myself to be honest.
Indeed, a shock to the system with cold ice water could be detrimental to some. I've seen variations where some used milk etc. And who's to say how cold the water has to be or how much? I've seen trashcans and coolers to small vases and ice buckets to a guy who almost knocked himself out with a block of ice! ~lol~
And BTW... YouTube has a ton of ice bucket fails that will make you laugh till you cry!
Positive thoughts
Good point, Fishmanpa! I might worry about not being able to breathe properly throughout the dumping of a huge bucket of water, but a vase I could do! ... My friend Linda has had two heart attacks, but sitting with her husband she had a friend stand and split a bucket between her husband and herself. To each, his (or her) own though. I would opt for just a vase, but include ice cubes! Let's all hope the extra funds mean a cure will be found soon! I watched the story of a young man who cares for his mother who is in the later stages, having lost his grandmother to ALS. He appears to be only in his twenties, and recently learned that he, too has been diagnosed, so clearly there is a hereditary risk. Heartbreaking ...
Omg I hadn't heard of als but I've got a stiff elbow now I'm panicking I'm a 48 yr old woman
Serenity1990
24-08-14, 19:31
It's all a bit of fun, and in a good cause.
The Jeremy Clarkson one is hilarious though!
It's raising awareness of motor neuron disease and that's a really good thing. None of us has to do anything we don't want to though and there's a whole host charities deserving of support in different ways. Please don't let this cause you more anxiety, that's definitely not the intention!
Pip
I'm sure that for most people, the momentary shock from the icy water would be of no danger to their health; I guess their momentary reaction (like screaming, laughing.... whatever it may be) is partly the reason for dong it... as in it's a laugh for others to watch & compared to raising money by jumping out of aeroplanes or running/cycling hundreds of miles, its a bit easier to do.
its all in a good cause and I have had a lot of fun watching peoples videos.
If you have a fear of ALS (or other things for that matter) it would be worth turning the fear on its head perhaps. The fear is ruling your life. Perhaps have a think about the way you instantly 'react' when you see something that triggers you.
In many respects, its not about the disease. its about the way you are reacting to a trigger.
I am not usually triggered by things like that but other stuff triggers me so I can relate to being triggered & believe me my reactions are physical as well as psychological. They play on my mind too.
I have (& still am) learning how to calm my reaction and lessen it's affect.
I really do suggest looking into way of coping with your reaction since that is something that can be altered.
Meanwhile, if possible, try to see the videos more as a source of amusement & how the people taking part are endeavouring to raise money for a cause & how they (I anticipate) will feel good for taking part in something very worthwhile.
It's so bad, because it's on my mind cause I see it everywhere, but I had a dream about it last night, my dream was that one of my cousins was newly informed he had ALS and his brother was in the progress of finding out if he had it, as was I. The symptom we all had was a rash which isn't even a symptom, so that was wired. Anyways wired dream, but it have to calm down and think rashonal and stop my thought process before it gets to be so much. I wish I never ever googled this one I was better off not knowing this one since it's like the scariest one yet.
Something you said here, Tinker, that really struck me......
"it's like the scariest one yet"
I read that as being .... You've been fearful of diseases/conditions before
and you anticipate there being more in the future too.
I was thinking about this thread today & how easy it is to get into a "set way if thinking". There have been (& still are) times when I am fearful of something in the future.... today I was thinking that yes, there are diseases out there which of course are to be fearful of.... But also two things came to mind:
First, no amount of worrying or dwelling on "what might be" is going to change the course of events. So ... Why worry..? Really, if you can stop dwelling & being sucked into the negative spiral of thinking, which you CAN..... Then think of all the extra energy you'd have for living every day life?
Second, as I am sure you are aware.... The more you think about it the more you will see.
For instance, if I said to you "look out for red cars tomorrow" I bet you'll see one somewhere and then after that you'll start seeing them everywhere. But before I said that to you, seeing a red car held no significance at all.
It's about making a conscious decision NOT to pursue this avenue of thinking.
If you anticipate "the next one" I guarantee something will come along.
Rather than let it get it's claws into you, when it happens, tell it to bog off. To get lost. You don't want to know. It isn't welcome. Tell it to STOP. Shout that loud and clear in your head.
When I was doing therapy, I used a similar technique to stop my negative thinking, it was about recognising as early as possible when I was going off in a negative tangent. If I spotted it early enough I could stop the thought pattern in its tracks. The earlier the better.
Sometimes (even now) I argue with myself, trying to recognise what is realistic and what is not.
Even when I know I am being unrealistic or disproportionate in my thinking, it is hard to really accept the reality. But what I am sure of is... The harder I work at stopping negative thoughts ...& instead if i focus on using my energy in a more productive way.... The happier I am.
Perhaps you might be able to stop yourself next time you recognise it happening.
Offer yourself a challenge.
Think about how happy pursuing the negatives makes you feel.
Instead, decide to dig your heels in against it & turn your ind to something more productive and that will lift your spirits :-)
Katie_cupcakes
26-08-14, 21:32
You don't have to do the challenge to raise anymore awareness... The awareness has been well and truly raised! Its good that these charities are getting this awareness though, maybe we should start a virul video to raise awareNess for mental health issues!
Isn't it risky for some people to do this?
Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure and pregnant.
It is not something I would risk doing myself to be honest.
Exactly. It's risky. It's like plunging into cold water all of a sudden. The drastic body temperature change might trigger a response that will increase dramatically blood pressure due to vasoconstriction. It's dangerous.
Exactly. It's risky. It's like plunging into cold water all of a sudden. The drastic body temperature change might trigger a response that will increase dramatically blood pressure due to vasoconstriction. It's dangerous.
For the vast majority of people it's not. Heck, I did it and I have heart issues! And it's not like you're jumping into a frozen lake or anything. It's cold water is all.
But then, if challenged, you can wuss out and opt to just donate ;) Did you see Patrick Stewart's Challenge? It's Brilliant! That's what this is about. It's brought much needed awareness to a rare but debilitating illness.
Positive thoughts
Well, i have done it... My ice bucket challenge. ok the water was cold but FishManPa is right, it was only for a fraction of a second & I wasn't immersed or anything. Yeah it made me kind of miss a breath as it were but as I say it was momentary.
What I will say is this.
As someone who has struggled with shyness much of their life & also having had really bad social anxiety even up to the last few years..... I practiced what I was going to say..... rather than wanting to run away & not do it, I decided I wanted to be upbeat & confident.
I treated it as a positive exercise in front of the camera. And guess what?
I did it, I really did!
And .... The amazing bit, I was surprised how good I looked in front of a camera. I didn't look shy. I didn't look anxious.
Instead what really surprised me was how relaxed and natural it felt & that's how I come across.
Also, something I hadn't anticipated was ... Having been nominated myself (by a lovely friend of mine) I then had to nominate three people to also do the challenge.
Well, for me to basically invite someone else to do something like this could have seemed like a big deal. But I decided I wasn't going to "go down that route of thinking". in eventuality.... The friends of mine were fine about it. Of course they said (jokingly) they weren't going to be my friend anymore.... But they're going to do it. I am amazed that "little old me" could actually get people I really respect to do something. I guess it was a calculated risk.
So plenty of positives have come out of this for me and also money has been raised for a very good cause.
As far as risk goes, that should be up to the person. If they're truly concerned, they could just donate instead of going the water route. Or, if no one is around to hold them accountable they could always just toss some room-temperature water on themselves. It doesn't matter - all for a great cause.
I think it's a great thing to do. It's awesome that so many are swept up in a good cause. The amount of money they've been able to raise has been phenomenal.
And think about it - ALS is a very rare disease. If it were more common, there wouldn't be a need to raise awareness, meaning the chances of getting it are very, very, very, very slim. There are a lot of people who have commented that people don't even know what ALS is (obviously a lot of us with HA do!) but I do think more are learning.
I've just done the ice bucket challenge. It has raised awareness of the disease and hopefully the money raised will help research to find a cure for this terrible disease.
when I was first nominated. I said I wouldn't do the challenge but would triple the donation.
but my (sadistic/fun loving kids insisted I had to do it.
my whole life has been avoiding things through anxiety and panic.
Then I saw a video clip of an 87 yo woman do it with a pan of water in icecubes
so I thought...just do it.
It was VERY cold. For a couple of seconds. Those poor people are living with this death threat disease for years.
I donated to MND Scotland and my husband donated to macmillannurses who rely on charitable donations to help people in the later stages of cancer.
UKmamainUS
28-08-14, 15:49
I haven't been nominated, and due to some rather nasty migraine I have had for months now, there is no way I could do it. I don't really see it as something to be scared of though. I don't want it to make my head worse, but you know, I'm happy to donate to a charity rather than dump ice over my head to avoid doing so.
Aww that's fab Tessar, well done!!
Thanku :-)
---------- Post added at 22:05 ---------- Previous post was at 22:01 ----------
I had dreaded being nominated but when someone I know did it & they have anxieties as well as a fear of water .... I felt it was the least I could do. But yes I agree no one is obligated to do it, we can all decide as individuals.
I'm one of those that the ALS challenge has brought awareness to. I remember seeing people posting around here about their fears of it but never looked it up until the challenges were around facebook. So it's working for sure to bring awareness! I was challenged to do it about a week ago but I haven't done it yet, but I did donate money the other day. I plan to do the challenge this weekend with my son.
Every since I read about it I admit, it's been on my mind and has brought me a lot of anxiety. I just think its one of the most devastating things out there. I actually saw a woman last night at the store with with ALS or something similar that causes the same symptoms. She was in a severely handicapped wheel chair with another man and woman there helping her. I noticed she couldn't move anything except for her eyes and she had a machine helping her breathe. It was so so so sad. I prayed for her and her family immediately! I don't think I've ever seen someone with it before, at least not that I remember. I've seen severely handicapped people before but not like that. I'm in a very sad mood this morning and my anxiety is through the roof.
Hi Lesley,
I see these unfortunate disabled people almost every day. My daughter is one of them. I cannot describe my feelings. Just numbness.
The care home I have been visiting for three years now.
It would break your heart to see young adults. Some have had bad accidents.
It opens your eyes to the real world.
One of the volunteers, in her seventies has done the ice bucket challenge.
She had us in stitches yesterday laughing. Apparently she is on facebook.
These are charities I support. MS society -Cancer research- and
all local charity shops, Like salvation army, and our local paramedics.
And of course The British Heart Foundation.xxx
There's two sides to it
1/ Its raising money and awareness
2/ Its wasting LOADS of water!
Hi Lesley,
I see these unfortunate disabled people almost every day. My daughter is one of them. I cannot describe my feelings. Just numbness.
The care home I have been visiting for three years now.
It would break your heart to see young adults. Some have had bad accidents.
It opens your eyes to the real world.
One of the volunteers, in her seventies has done the ice bucket challenge.
She had us in stitches yesterday laughing. Apparently she is on facebook.
These are charities I support. MS society -Cancer research- and
all local charity shops, Like salvation army, and our local paramedics.
And of course The British Heart Foundation.xxx
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. Not to pry, but can I ask what type of accident she was in to cause that? Do you mean like car accidents? I'm so glad to hear your support these charities.
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