Some things that help me cope!

Hey everyone, i’m a relatively new listener here but i’m finding seven cups to be super welcoming. I’ve noticed that a lot of other people struggle with the same things I have in the past, so i’m here to offer some casual things that helped me out.

Anxiety:

In certain situations, your anxiety will flare up over nothing; you could have nothing going on, nothing stressful, and still find yourself worrying.

One thing i’ve found that really nips it in the bud is to write down every single intrusive thought and worry that crosses your mind, and then write down exactly what you would do to solve those situations. This way, next time it comes up, you already have a secure plan to fall back on, plus it helps you weed out the silly things! When you put a ridiculous idea onto paper, it becomes much less scary.

Self- harm:

This one may not be for everyone, and that’s totally okay! when I was in the depths of my self harm, the main thing that got me out of it and into recovery was push ups and planks. Hear me out: whenever you feel the urge to SH, drop to the ground and give yourself twenty to make up for it! doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, immediately do push ups to remind your brain that thoughts like that will result in unpleasant physical activity haha. it turned into a helpful, calming coping strategy after a while, because it replaced a negative habit with a positive one which is proven to raise your endorphins and get your heart going, lifting your mood!

just an idea for you.

Finally, here’s a technique for general worry relief!

If you’ve ever felt that deep worry or negativity rooted in your chest, heart, and lungs, then you’ll probably like this.

Pin point where you’re feeling that negativity (is it your lower belly? the center of your ribs? your lungs?) and then picture what that negative feeling looks like. what noise does it make? what texture does it have? personally i picture is at a swarm of black flies, gnawing away at my chest and spreading icky feelings.

Next you want to imagine what POSITIVITY looks like. what does being at peace look like, sound like, feel like? bring up some happy memories to strengthen that vision. then take a deep breath, imagining that positive energy sinking into your skin, all the way to that negative image you have. imagine it sinking into the middle of that negativity, and then as you breathe out, imagine the positive projection pushing the icky feelings out of your body. do this a few times and see how you feel!

remember that there are so many people here who care for you and want to help you. please reach out and keep fighting, because you are worth effort and you are worth listening to.