#Mental Health Techniques

[mde-creative-video]

Effective Strategies for Managing Unpleasant Thoughts

[borderlinebastard]

what “feeling better” can look like after using a coping technique:

beng able to get up and walk around safely

thinking/talking more clearly and lessening of brain fog

a willingness to re-engage with a situation/emotion (even with some reluctance)

ability to do a task you did not want to/could not do before

being able to plan and problem solve (even if you still don’t know what to do)

improved concentration/focus

more understanding of a situation

calmer and slower thoughts (rather than scattered thoughts/rumination)

slower heartbeat and breathing

faster heartbeat, if doing exercise, and momentum that gives you a chance to do a task before you sit down again

being able to sleep easier

an ability to look at the big picture and not get lost in the details

feeling that you can “manage”

ability to control outbursts/destructive behaviour or pause before acting

managing to stop crying

I think people tend to assume their mood is what will improve after trying coping techniques, however, your mood is not the full extent of your mental health, and it doesn’t totally define whether or not a technique has helped you. When disorders cause symptoms like chronic emptiness and low mood, it’s worthwhile to pay attention to your body and your abilities to look for signs of improvement, which can then have an affect on your mood in the long term.

[serenityquest]

[nenelonomh]

miscellaneous study tips

do all readings, even the ones that are 'suggested' but not required. they were suggested for a reason.

get to class early. getting to class early gives you time to be prepared and ready to study. review your notes from the day before, lay out all your supplies, ask the teacher any lingering questions about the material.

your feet feel cold? put on socks. you feel thirsty? fill up your waterbottle and leave it beside you. make yourself comfortable whilst you are studying, or you will hate it.

if you can't find the motivation to get to work on something, force yourself to pick it up for just two minutes. you're very likely to continue.

[gentleaffirmations]

Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are safe here in the present moment.

[how-to-get-away-with-study]

Trying to read something that's not an academic paper or manual. Sometimes we need time off from studying and from being "the" student, giving ourselves time to enjoy self care days.

It's all about balance ⚖️

Ps: look closely! You could spot little forest friends in one of the pictures 🐿️

[zenithsys]

Do you feel, like, constantly overwhelmed? Unable to focus on tasks and self-care like showering? Have I got the tip for you

I recently got put on this method through a YouTube video recommended to me called the Sharp Ax method. Name doesn't matter, I'm gonna skip right to telling you what to do.

You have a notebook? Maybe one that you've horded and used once or twice before abandoning? Grab that shit. Get your favorite pen. At the top of the page you're going to write "Brain Dump". For like, 10-15 minutes, just sit there and write down every thought that comes to mind. Does your back hurt? Write it. Do you have to make breakfast? Write it.

But here's the thing: if there's something you need to do (paperwork, showering, shopping, etc) you're gonna write it like this.

"I want to shower." "I want to check the mailbox." "I want to do my laundry today."

For whatever reason, reframing things you need to do as things you want to do has helped me so immensely, and even when I can't finish all the things I want to finish, I still feel good for finishing the ones I was able to.

This stupidly simple journaling technique (which doesn't even feel like journalling to me) has caused me to go from being chronically overwhelmed to feeling like, even just for a little bit, everything is going to be okay.

[4spooniesupport]

[yarensdiary]

How Hardworking Students Should Rest: A Guide to Staying Productive and Balanced:🎀

As students, we often find ourselves buried under a mountain of assignments, exams, and extracurricular activities. While it’s important to work hard and stay dedicated, it’s equally important to give your mind and body the rest they deserve. In this blog post, we’ll explore why rest is crucial and how to balance work and relaxation effectively.

Why is Rest Important?

Rest isn’t just about sleeping or being lazy; it’s an essential part of maintaining mental and physical well-being. Continuous study sessions without breaks can lead to burnout, stress, and decreased productivity. Taking regular breaks helps to:

• Refresh your mind: Breaks improve focus and retention of information.

• Boost creativity: Rest allows your brain to form new ideas and solutions.

• Reduce stress: Taking time off helps in managing anxiety and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

How Often Should You Rest?

The key to effective studying is incorporating regular breaks into your schedule. Here’s a general guideline on how often to rest:

1.The Pomodoro Technique: Study for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes.

2.Hourly Breaks: If you prefer longer study sessions, try studying for 50 minutes and then taking a 10-minute break.

3.Daily Rest: Make sure you have time each day to unwind and do something you enjoy—whether it’s exercising, reading, or spending time with friends.

4.Weekly Rest: Dedicate at least one day a week where you limit your study time and focus on relaxing and recharging.

Thank you!

[schizopositivity]

Hey, could I ask what coping skills you use to help with hallucinations and such?

I’m not diagnosed with anything yet so I’m not on any meds. And my coping skills aren’t very good.

I usually just use music and try to ignore things to the best of my ability. That helps with a lot of the more usual auditory hallucinations. Walls and floors moving are…hard. But I typically just reach out to feel them (and hope I’m not having tactile hallucinations too and don’t feel that move)

But things like feeling bugs on my skin. Or hearing disturbing things (screaming, loud extremely negative internal voices / intrusive thoughts, etc) I don’t really know how to deal with? And I was wondering you’d have any tips? The internet isn’t very helpful and I was wondering if someone else who experiences this stuff too might have some better suggestions!

Thanks!

My biggest coping skills are distracting myself from the hallucinations, and trying to ease my emotional reactions to them.

Music is great, but it can't really drown out the auditory hallucinations. In my experience listening to a YouTube video, watching a show/movie, listening to an audiobook or talking to someone is more helpful. These things require my attention, and for me to think about what I'm hearing, that way I'm not focusing on or thinking about the hallucinations.

I am a fan of the "putting your hands on the walls to feel that they are actually steady" trick. I've talked about it a long time ago on this blog, since I have experienced moving walls and floors a lot. I think it also is a very grounding experience. If you are hallucinating it can be very helpful to use a fidget toy or something else that is pleasing to touch (dry rice, sand, rocks, soft blankets, etc). It shifts your focus to something that is real, that you can feel and be comforted by.

For the other, maybe more distressing hallucinations, it can be very helpful to distract yourself. Consciously shifting your focus away from the hallucinations and onto something you enjoy. This can be a hobby like drawing or crocheting. Or something relaxing like watching your favorite TV show, or going on a walk. This won't actually stop the hallucinations themselves, but it will keep you engaged with something else, which can help you ignore the hallucinations.

In my experience, spending a lot of time focusing on and thinking about the hallucinations can make things worse (as in feel more severe, not change the amount of hallucinations). Luckily I have spent years coping with the hallucinations, to the point where now I can experience them and immediately move on, which is way less stressful for me. And that was a skill I learned after a lot of practice, and I'm glad I did. It won't be easy at first, but I do believe that it is possible to eventually ignore hallucinations to the point that they are just mildly annoying.

Also since you aren't getting treatment for the root of the issue (the hallucinations), the best thing you can do is try and treat your emotional reaction to them at home. This can be any self care activity that works for you. This will be personalized to you but it can be things like cuddling your pet, taking a bath, reading a book, applying makeup, baking your favorite sweets, making a cup of tea, calling a friend, etc. If you want more ideas you can turn to the internet but look for "self care ideas" or "ways to destress at home". Because hallucinations can be very distressing, and it's important to care for yourself during and after the experience. These things can overlap with the distraction techniques, either way it's getting your mind off of the hallucinations and onto things you enjoy.

I hope you find a way to make the hallucinations more manageable, and take care of yourself. Your comfort is the most important thing when it comes to hallucinations. It is always worth it to invest your time into self care and relaxation.

[yakitori-queen]

btw the reason you shouldn't guilt trip, be overly vague ("are you normal about [blank]"), or speak in hypotheticals (if X happened/if you met X kind of person/etc/how would you react) in your social justice/general activism related posts isn't to cater to privileged bigots with fragile egos, it's to be inclusive of people with OCD for who this can sort of talk can trigger intrusive thoughts and self hatred. and i don't know how to tell you this but you should want to do that

[ineffectualdemon]

There isn't a whole lot of advice for if you're dissociating really badly and desperately need to ground yourself in a way that isn't dangerous

Most self harm advice covers being depressed or an emotional reason for wanting to self harm (which I have had in the past but that's not relevant to this)

Not a lot of advice for: "I am so desperate to feel connected to reality that I think bashing my head against the wall is a suitable solution"

The name 5 things isn't super helpful if you're alone and spiraling and dissociating heavily

Also I'm sorry most of them prompted by apps are stupid and don't work for me

It's usually like "name 5 colours" "name five yellow things" and the "name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can taste" which doesn't really work for me either

I think I feel babied and it irritates me

It worked better when my husband started asking me things like "name 5 whales" or "name five words that end in N" because it makes me actually think about my answers so I might pop in a small notebook and have him help me come up with questions

(Btw he asked me "5 words that start with P" and my answers included both patchouli and patriarchy)

I do better with physical sensations

So when I remembered I had a spiky ring i used that but I'm going to order more and a bigger one I can squeeze and roll about

I should probably try to find something better to bite. Tbh I need a chewerly item that has the right amount of give to really sink my teeth into

Most are too hard and hurt my jaw

Is it weird to say it needs the consistency of a human finger?

Other things I'm including is a gummy candy with a strong taste and some lavender facemasks because smell really helps but most perfumes give me a headache. A face mask though will hopefully feel like something on my face and will smell strongly but not in a migraine way

Does anyone have any other suggestions of things to ground me in reality that are helpful keeping in mind my mobility is very limited

[serenityquest]

[nenelonomh]

tip for study after school:

when you get home, eat something and REMOVE your phone. turn it off and put it away in another room. try your hardest to not get distracted because once you're on your phone it may be hard to clear your head.

then you can do your homework and afterwards, you can enjoy your leisure time. leisure time must be something that does not stress you.

[uncanny-tranny]

When I find it hard to do certain things, I like to pretend I am a neanderthal living in a cave with my clan, and I must do The Thing in order to survive.

So, when I'm doing cardio at the gym, I'm actually chasing and tracking a mammoth, and when I need to cook, well, I'm not cooking on a stove top, I am hurdled over the first fire and watching the fat of our kill drip down onto the burning wood. And when I find it hard to crochet, I pretend that the first winter storm is coming and our clan needs me to make blankets to hurdle under and that I must contribute.

I hope whatever you do to do The Things will help. It is a uniquely personable trait to motivate yourself through pretend and stories. That's what makes this life interesting - that's what makes you feel larger than yourself 💛

[timeless-clarity]

Period Days

Today there are clothes all over my bedroom floor and I have a hot water bottle on my stomach.

I see how holy it is to be fully still. To read poetry and eat my pre-prepared meals. To nurse myself while I once again give birth to myself. Who will I be this time, when I emerge again.

It doesn't matter how much healing I do, how much EFT Tapping I do - there is always hours or days of complete rest needed. Part of healing is to learn how to allow space for that deep rest without guilt in a fast world.