I wanted to have a list of strategies that work for me, so I made list on my Iphone Notebook app. It's always with me, and when I start struggling, I can go through my list and try something to help me calm down. Different things work for different people, but these are some things that work for me.
- Breath slower- in your nose for 4 seconds, out your mouth for 4 seconds. Do it for about 2 minutes.
- Think slower.
- Name the feeling
- Ride the wave- let yourself feel feelings, and remember that they won't last forever. Feelings are to learn from, let yourself feel and learn.
- Go easy on yourself. Cut yourself some slack.
- Trust that Heavenly Father loves you, and give the control of the situation to Him. Trust that if you are doing what is right in your life then He will take care of you- Believe He can bring miracles into your life.
- ABC&E write-out. A means "Activating event", B means "belief"/what you think now because of this situation, C means "consequential emotions", E means "evidence"/what does real evidence and experience show you about your beliefs? Are they supported? Or proven to be false worried? It helps you accept your emotions, process them, and then notice how strongly you are feeling those emotions, and how real or unreal those worries are.
- For example: A-I saw someone holding a baby and it made me really nervous about having a baby. B- I won't be a very good mom, I may be really scared while having kids, C- scared/ 7, desperate/5, hopeless/6, sad/4, disappointed/6, (rate on a scale of 1-10, 10 being very strong, 1 being not at all) E- I love being around kids, I am good with kids, everyone tells me I'll be a good mom, I know I'll have help from my husband. There is not proof that I will be a terrible mom- that's just a worry that is not supported by any evidence.
- Safe place- imagine yourself at a place that is safe and happy for you. Imagine the sounds, sights, smells, and feel of that place.
- Leaves on a stream exercise- Imagine you are by a stream, and the worries on your mind are leaves that you are imagining flowing down the stream. Let them go. Let them go down the stream, and worry about and solve them at a later time. It helps for me to picture Christ picking up those leaves down the stream and holding on to them for me, and solving them for me. Christ can help me carry the burdens on those leaves. He takes care of them, because He has also felt them and overcome them.
- Make a list of things you are grateful for.
- Make a list of things that are going well, that are positive, or little victories that you've had. Hold onto and treasure those victories. They can carry you through times that don't feel so "positive", and help you to remember there IS positive and victories out there for you.
- Watch a funny video on Youtube
- Talk to my husband. Or talk to my friend Katrina, Emilie, Sylvia, Heather, Lisa, Cheryl, Robin, Michelle, Kyle, or Staisha.
- Read a scripture. I have my favorite comforting scriptures highlighted in my gospel library app so I can access them quickly.
- Read or listen to a talk by a prophet, apostle, or BYU devotional
- Say a prayer out loud
- Listen to music
- Get a drink of cold water
- Write down what I'm feeling or what's bothering me. Get it out on paper instead of letting it stew in my head.
- Hold on. Sometimes you just have to hold on until hard times pass. Just hold on, wait it out.
- Play Tennis
- Remember "Life will go on, you just get to choose how you're going to live it."
- Search out the Light of Christ- through prayer, scriptures, nature, etc. There is no emptiness from God. He is fullness.
- Remember to live your life based upon faith, hope, charity, and humility.
- Lay in the sunshine at the pool
- Pilates or Yoga.
- Think about what you can and cannot control. Make a plan about what you can, and dismiss what you cannot. Here is a list from a counselor of things that we can or cannot control.
- CANNOT control
- What someone else is thinking
- How nervous I get
- What other people value and care about
- Worries I have from time to time
- How others respond to my choices, expressed thoughts, feelings, and actions
- The choices others make
- How often the same thoughts or images come back into my mind
- Other people following rules or standards
- What other people do
- Other people liking me
- What I feel at any point
- The thoughts I have from time to time
- CAN control
- The choices I make
- How I respond to other people
- What I say and do in a situation
- The direction I want my life to take
- How I behave with respect to other people
- What I do when I get anxious
- How I respond to my thoughts and feelings (positive or negative)
- Whether I follow through with commitments
- Whether I follow certain rules or standards
- If I prepare for tasks and do my best
- What I do with my precious time on this earth
- My values and what I care about
- Turn around your thinking pattern. Change it from a negative perspective to a more positive one.
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