healing Coping Mechanisms

[Equivalent Ways]

I think it would be really cool if we could share with others how we cope with some things like, self-harm, depression, trauma, breakups, etc. A designated spot for it

[Hawthorne11]

Good idea @Equivalent Ways! I mean, I personally just kind of shut down and don't care what happens. But my coping mechanism is primarily self-harm. I didn't really realise that was what I was doing when I was younger, but I've been doing it for a very long time and have now realised that is what I am doing and why I am doing it. I know it just hurts me in the long run, but at the moment it makes me feel really good. My rational mind is worried about when I don't have people who are with me all the time to notice, I'm worried that when I start Running Start in High School, it'll get bad, and when I go to college too. I guess I don't know what else to use, it's half punishment, half pleasure. THIS IS NOT A GOOD COPING METHOD PEOPLE, DON'T GET TO THIS POINT! DON'T USE IT!

[TinyDinos]

Great idea @Equivalent Ways. I have depression, and it makes it really hard for me to do a lot of things pertaining to coping with situations as far as coping goes. Typically how I handle situations is by going into survival mode and focusing on what I need to do in order to get out safely. In other situations though, I tend to try and rationalize what’s happening and tell myself why I shouldn’t feel the way I do about things and it really doesn’t work it’s just a habit at this point, and sometimes I write mediocre poetry about how I’m feeling if the inspiration strikes. (I posted them in Creativity already if you wanna give feedback.) 

My main thing is becoming withdrawn from everybody around me because I simply lack the energy for anything other than sleeping and sometimes eating. 
 

LIKE @AceOfSpades SAID SO PERFECTLY, THESE AREN’T GOOD WAYS TO DEAL WITH STRONG EMOTIONS. ONLY THE POETRY ONE IS HEALTHY.

[Aurora]

Thank you for this @Equivalent Ways. What a good idea 

I'm wondering if anyone has tried/heard of grounding techniques. They can be really helpful when we are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, pain or any other emotion.  It can help us to bring ourselves back into the present moment. I find the 5 4 3 2 1 technique helpful, as it's easy to remember and you can do it anywhere. Basically start off by taking a few deep breaths in, look around you and notice:

5 things you can see

4 things you can touch (make sure you physically touch them and feel the different textures, temperatures etc)

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste or a deep breath in

It doesn't have to be in this order, you could also start off with 5 things you can hear, 4 things you taste etc. Whatever works best for you. It's usually quite good to practice this a few times when we are feeling calm so its easier to use when we are feeling overwhelmed -  if that makes sense. Hope this is helpful 

 

[-Aussie-]

2 hours ago, Aurora said:

Thank you for this @Equivalent Ways. What a good idea 

I'm wondering if anyone has tried/heard of grounding techniques. They can be really helpful when we are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, pain or any other emotion.  It can help us to bring ourselves back into the present moment. I find the 5 4 3 2 1 technique helpful, as it's easy to remember and you can do it anywhere. Basically start off by taking a few deep breaths in, look around you and notice:

5 things you can see

4 things you can touch (make sure you physically touch them and feel the different textures, temperatures etc)

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste or a deep breath in

It doesn't have to be in this order, you could also start off with 5 things you can hear, 4 things you taste etc. Whatever works best for you. It's usually quite good to practice this a few times when we are feeling calm so its easier to use when we are feeling overwhelmed -  if that makes sense. Hope this is helpful 

this is such a good technique i use it a lot ands its how i help my friends if they are having a panic attack or anxiety attack. 

[Equivalent Ways]

Y'all are really onto something here. I really like the grounding steps, and often times when I am experiencing a panic/anxiety attack or something really overwhelming, I literally plop to the floor and curl up into a ball and go numb. Maybe not the best strategy.. But this chat helps give me some better ideas and makes me feel less alone.

[TinyDinos]

5 hours ago, Aurora said:

Thank you for this @Equivalent Ways. What a good idea 

I'm wondering if anyone has tried/heard of grounding techniques. They can be really helpful when we are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, pain or any other emotion.  It can help us to bring ourselves back into the present moment. I find the 5 4 3 2 1 technique helpful, as it's easy to remember and you can do it anywhere. Basically start off by taking a few deep breaths in, look around you and notice:

5 things you can see

4 things you can touch (make sure you physically touch them and feel the different textures, temperatures etc)

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste or a deep breath in

It doesn't have to be in this order, you could also start off with 5 things you can hear, 4 things you taste etc. Whatever works best for you. It's usually quite good to practice this a few times when we are feeling calm so its easier to use when we are feeling overwhelmed -  if that makes sense. Hope this is helpful 

I wanna try this. Thanks

[Equivalent Ways]

I know it is a little overrated, but breathing as @Aurora mentioned, has really helped me improve my sleep and help me calm down from hyperventilating sometimes. 

[Aurora]

21 hours ago, -Marra- said:

this is such a good technique i use it a lot ands its how i help my friends if they are having a panic attack or anxiety attack. 

Great! It's always nice to hear what works for people. Sometimes it can take a while until we find something that works for us. 

[Aurora]

18 hours ago, TinyDinos said:

I wanna try this. Thanks

Great. Let me know if you have any questions. And if you like you can share here, if it was helpful 

[Aurora]

9 hours ago, Equivalent Ways said:

I know it is a little overrated, but breathing as @Aurora mentioned, has really helped me improve my sleep and help me calm down from hyperventilating sometimes. 

Absolutely. Focussing on our breathing and taking deep breaths can really help us calm down 

[Equivalent Ways]

Another thing too, ASMR videos have been helping relax me for years now and EMDR I found recently(you don’t need a therapist for it!)  this kinda stuff helps me process things and calm down too! Have fun if you feel like experimenting with it 

[Olivia05]

I’m currently in a group therapy for my depression and self harm and some of the techniques we use include talking to someone, journaling, deep breath in for 5 seconds deep breath out for 3 seconds, different tapping techniques (if you guys want me to get into detail for that let me know and I’ll explain it), the grounding techniques that @Aurora was talking about and so much more. If you guys need some other ones just let me know because she made us make a list and that was just a few of them on mine. Hope everyone is doing well though!

Edited March 26, 2023 by Emmerson

[Equivalent Ways]

I am coming back to this thread because I find its good to return to these( i forgot some lol) and I am making a list for myself to practice them and for reference :D thanks again for everyone who responded here and i will post some more of my coping mechanisms whenever i can