Discussion Things you do when you're upset to calm down, or when you trouble falling asleep

[Zephronic]

I personally try to distract myself when I'm upset by doing the things I enjoy, like interests and hobbies. Though it dosen't always work for me, and when I have trouble falling asleep I do the same thing until I get tired

 

[Wojaczek]

i watch this podcast called trash taste when i have trouble falling asleep, its very comfy and ive resorted to playing saxophone violently when im feeling upset, it helps a lot tbh.

 

[kitch]

Audiobooks (from that old treasure chest . argh argh ...)

Started out with some therapy calming stuff ... a bit of history n science stuff ...

Some of the readers voices are very soothing .

 

[Heavenbound]

I haven't found any techniques that truly calm me down. I pay through the nose for a psychologist to give me examples, and truly it's just bulls**t like " tap your fingers together or count to 10" . The closest I've ever come is just to face my fear... Whatever it is, just do it,get it over with. It's painful though.
Sleeping? What's that?

 

[Danyyyyy]

I try to write down how I feel in a poem, whether its rlly long or uncoherent, I just write until I can't or im tired. Another thing is just trying to find music that I might like? or just trying to find a song on how i'm feeling and just fall asleep. The only problem I have is that my dumbass be reciting the lyrics without noticing :(( so I can't sleep w/ music other than piano and stuf.

 

[hwaiting]

Some things that really help are:

Just open up a notebook/journal/notes app and type in a stream-of-consciousness. You aren't writing it for anyone, so it doesn't have to make sense.

If it's possible at that moment, try the 4-7-8 breathing method. Inhale for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. The most important part is the holding, and after a couple of minutes, your heart rate should go down at the very least. Helps most for anxiety, and can help to ground you in reality during depressive spirals.

If things are really bad, take a cold shower. I know, I hate cold showers and will never like them, but it can trigger a response in your brain that lowers your heart rate. It can also increase your endorphin levels, and it's also a way to ground yourself. You don't really have time to think when all you're paying attention to is how cold the water is.

If it's nighttime, and I know it's easier said than done, but try to sleep. Being up late at night messes with your mood (supported by a lot of research), and can worsen a lot of depressive symptoms. Turn on a video, white noise, a podcast (there's this nice one called I Can't Sleep where this guy reads miscellaneous Wikipedia articles in a low, droning voice. It fills the emptiness, but it's not interesting enough for you to get distracted by it), whatever helps you sleep.

Or you can do something you love. Someone mentioned playing the saxophone, which can serve the same purpose of just releasing pent up energy–just expressing anything when you've spent so long bottling it all up.

This isn't a comprehensive list, obviously. Depressive spirals can be really rough because everything just loses meaning, even the things you love doing. For me, they usually last a few long hours where I pretty much lose the ability to do anything. But I'm not always able to just ride it out, and that's when some of these things have helped me. For anxious spirals, you're not always able to just sit there and do a breathing exercise. That's when cold showers can help. Just, try to find some way to ground yourself or find a harmless way to let it all out.

 

[Zephronic]

Some things that really help are:

Just open up a notebook/journal/notes app and type in a stream-of-consciousness. You aren't writing it for anyone, so it doesn't have to make sense.

If it's possible at that moment, try the 4-7-8 breathing method. Inhale for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. The most important part is the holding, and after a couple of minutes, your heart rate should go down at the very least. Helps most for anxiety, and can help to ground you in reality during depressive spirals.

If things are really bad, take a cold shower. I know, I hate cold showers and will never like them, but it can trigger a response in your brain that lowers your heart rate. It can also increase your endorphin levels, and it's also a way to ground yourself. You don't really have time to think when all you're paying attention to is how cold the water is.

If it's nighttime, and I know it's easier said than done, but try to sleep. Being up late at night messes with your mood (supported by a lot of research), and can worsen a lot of depressive symptoms. Turn on a video, white noise, a podcast (there's this nice one called I Can't Sleep where this guy reads miscellaneous Wikipedia articles in a low, droning voice. It fills the emptiness, but it's not interesting enough for you to get distracted by it), whatever helps you sleep.

Or you can do something you love. Someone mentioned playing the saxophone, which can serve the same purpose of just releasing pent up energy–just expressing anything when you've spent so long bottling it all up.

This isn't a comprehensive list, obviously. Depressive spirals can be really rough because everything just loses meaning, even the things you love doing. For me, they usually last a few long hours where I pretty much lose the ability to do anything. But I'm not always able to just ride it out, and that's when some of these things have helped me. For anxious spirals, you're not always able to just sit there and do a breathing exercise. That's when cold showers can help. Just, try to find some way to ground yourself or find a harmless way to let it all out.

This really helps, I will start doing these things, thank you so much :)

 

[hwaiting]

This really helps, I will start doing these things, thank you so much :)

No problem, hope this helps. Try not to beat yourself up too much; it's a process. Sometimes it'll get better and sometimes it'll get worse, but it's not your fault. Just take it one day at a time

 

[baby.imspinning]

if it's only a small sense of being tense i like to go and do something that makes me feel productive. cleaning my room especially helps, but sometimes i'm just feeling too down and too exhausted to do something like that (adhd lol), so i'll just do something other than endlessly scroll on social media. writing is definitely a suggestion !!

on a more unhealthy note that i wouldn't recommend, if i'm feeling any tense anxieties or depressions, sometimes i'll sip liquid benadryl or do the salt and ice thingy. pleaae don't do these though lol, they end up causing more harm than they do good.

 

[hwaiting]

if it's only a small sense of being tense i like to go and do something that makes me feel productive. cleaning my room especially helps, but sometimes i'm just feeling too down and too exhausted to do something like that (adhd lol), so i'll just do something other than endlessly scroll on social media. writing is definitely a suggestion !!

on a more unhealthy note that i wouldn't recommend, if i'm feeling any tense anxieties or depressions, sometimes i'll sip liquid benadryl or do the salt and ice thingy. pleaae don't do these though lol, they end up causing more harm than they do good.

Yeah the general goal is to avoid the more unhealthy coping mechanisms, and to go for the more sustainable ones. But I think it's important to remember that if you ever do resort to the more unhealthy/harmful methods, to not be too hard on yourself. You can be your own worst enemy sometimes

 

[Sprite_Geist]

I either lie down on my bed - but do not try to sleep - or I try to draw. If both of these options fail I visit this forum.

 

[Kualk]

I find that doing some sort of light physical activity an hour before you go to sleep helps a little. What works for me is doing some push-ups until my body starts to get hot, take a shower and go to bed. It doesn't make you sleepy right away but helps you to not think. Hope you all find a healthy sleeping habit.

 

[blazysuzan]

drugs drugs drugs

 

[unnormal9]

Self harm, self-starve, sleep.

 

[floatingfish]

There's an app called CBT-i that uses CBT techniques for insomnia. It was created by the Veteran's Association or something. I like using that when I can't sleep. It doesn't always help, but sometimes it does.

I especially like their Progressive Muscle Relaxation—that helps me.

 

[Csmith8827]

Try to find a playlist to listen to...

 

[Hikikomori1]

Watch YouTube or a movie or show.