To say that I have been woefully underprepared for any sort of overwhelming emotional attack is an understatement. I didn’t just not have tool belt full of things to help, I wasn’t even out of bed trying to get dressed yet. It was not possible to do work on these emotions.
Just in this one group session I basically exponentially increased my coping mechanisms.
Dive Response
This is something I am particularly hopeful to try. It is relatively fast acting and helps give you an edge to regulate yourself. Its supposedly tricks your body into thinking that you are diving underwater. This helps slow your heart down and redirect blood flow to the heart and brain.
You are supposed to close your eyes, hold your breath, and dunk your face into some cold water. It also say you can put a zip lock bag of cold water on your eye and upper cheeks as well (Something says face dunking is more effective? I don’t know though.
Was also introduced to TIPP. Which is a series of short activities done in sequence to bring you back from the brink. This takes a little bit longer and is not really something you could do in the middle of a work day – maybe you could? ymmv.
T – Temperature:
Do something to increase/decrease your bodies temperature – Cold/Hot Shower, Holding Ice to your neck/face, Drinking a warm beverage like hot herbal tea.
Cold is to bring down your heart rate and slow the racing in your mind.
Heat is supposed to bring up your heart rate and help pull you out of a small depression or anxious thought.
I – Intense Exercise:
Give yourself 10 minutes to get your blood pumping, kick in some endorphins and distract you from the now. Dance, do jumping jacks, run in place. Literally anything
P – Paced Breathing:
Breathing is good for you! Kind of makes sense. This is something I have done before (I have to do it when I go to the doctor’s it stillllll spikes me up)
In through the nose for shorter time (4 seconds) then out through the mouth for a longer time (8 seconds).
P – Progressive Muscle Relaxation:
I have never used this as part of any sort of emotional regulation but it does help work out knots and incredibly tense muscles.
You start from the top of your head an make your way down your body. Clenching each group of muscles individually really hard for 10-15 seconds. Repeat the whole process – This is supposed to tire out your body enough where it needs to kick in some other systems which draws your minds attention to the harsh emotions.
Opposite Action
The basic premise is that you are supposed to do the opposite of how you are feeling. Just don’t sit there and ruminate on “Don’t be Anxious anymore”. Focus on the opposite emotion, try and tie that emotion with a simple activity that can bring you that OPPOSITE emotion through that ACTION.
This one seems to be the hardest to me. When I get overcome with emotion it is generally a billion things at once. Where do you start? How do you pick the one that is going to be the most help? How do you get yourself to sit and calmly contemplate “I feel like shit, what action do I like that will make me feel ‘not shit'”.
The group leader had rave reviews about this one though, saying that some people have claimed it has “changed their lives”. Sometimes I can’t get out of bed in the morning – the opposite action is to just get up – but that’s my problem >.>
More research on this may be warranted I think I might be missing a key ingredient in that.
If you are going to be anxious anyway... 