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Healthy Coping Methods

M

Mafioso

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
3,959
This thread is a place for anyone who wants to share their "alternative" or healthy coping methods. Whether dealing with drug cravings and addiction, mental illness, depression, insomnia, restlessness, or just sadness...

I would like to keep this open to anything with the exceptions of music and books/podcast, as there are already threads for those. I don't want to completely ban those things tho, as there may be exceptions, like a podcast that is just positive affirmations or mood centered rather than informational.

Music, books, podcast, and videos have all been coping methods for me in major ways, but I would like to discuss other ways as well. Things like possibly specific diets or exercises and how it has helped you.

For me, I always have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I've found that ASMR videos like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdE2Yws3MD4&t=206s and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jdRoe9FdZ8 to be very calming and helps me fall asleep naturally.
 
Two things to add here: Long walks and love.
Walks are one of the best coping mechanisms period, imo. Love is a funny thing that can be entirely destructive but you need to have it. Whether it be love for people, drugs, things, animals, or yourself-you need love to be able to cope.
 
Yes! I think any kind of physical exercise is great for the mood, and we all need human connection. Isolation and lack of close intimate relationships is one of the most common factors among drug users. Personally, I've never felt safe in intimate relationships since a bad break-up in high school and have carried that hurt and mistrust with me. Relationships always seem risky to me but I know I have a deep need for connection. I find it funny how a lot of things that scare others doesn't scare me, but something like love is terrifying for me. It's a fear I am working on overcoming though, trying to rationalize that allowing people to get close to me isn't always dangerous. There are many kinds of love though, and having loving family, friends, and a sober buddy has really helped me through the past years.
 
Great thread idea. :)

Exercise is among the very most important, getting in shape is the fast-track to feeling better and more well-adjusted. I can't emphasize this enough and I think sometimes people feel like it'll be too hard when they're feeling weird/bored/PAWS/etc. But in fact when you just do it, it makes you feel much better, and if you do it habitually you start to look forward to it.

Other than that, any hobby or pursuit that makes you feel good. For me, when I quit opiates, I finally got back into playing music and it was a huge factor in my success and happiness. Boredom is a killer and one of the leading causes of relapse, in my experience. So anything you can do to get rid of boredom is important. Also, socializing with friends is important. Humans are social creatures and even if you don't feel like it when you're feeling low, you need social connection.
 
Exercise is one way to naturally raise your dopamine and other feel good neurotransmitters like endorphins. 30+ minutes of aerobic exercise is also said to lead to neurogenesis, which is great for anyone but particularly people in recovery.

Today I wasn't feeling that great, but I did 50 body weight squats, went on a short walk, worked on music for a few hours, did some homework, read for about an hour(currently taking a break), and about to eat a healthy dinner and take my vitamins. No work today so I let myself be lazy and ended up taking a nap this afternoon.
 
Some appearance im still suffering under the delusion that not everyone else is a piece of shit. Like complete piece of shit. Forever. Probably. Some delusional glitter but not the real thing.

Thats necessary

The film falling down is not

Thats another reason they like me off the medicine. Less impervious to stupidity, needling.

People.

Pretend they arent monsters in a skin suit.
 
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Jeanpauldash said:
Some appearance im still suffering under the delusion that not everyone else is a piece of shit. Like complete piece of shit. Forever. Probably. Some delusional glitter but not the real thing.

Thats necessary

The film falling down is not

Thats another reason they like me off the medicine. Less impervious to stupidity, needling.

People.

Pretend they arent monsters in a skin suit.
Click to expand...

Hey Jeanpush, sorry to hear what sounds like a tough time that you are going through. If you want, you can start your own thread here in TDS or in the other recovery sub-forum "mental health" where a lot of others talk about dealing with psychiatric medications.

I'd like to keep this thread focused on positive coping methods. I didn't do much for my physical or mental health today tbh. Played a lot of video games, ate a bunch of food and spent a little time with family. Did go on a walk when I was feeling super anxious which was calming. THink I might take one right now.
 
walking is a go-to for me, I'm not addicted to anything but walking has been very therapeutic for me.
 
In the moment, when you might not be able to go out for a walk, or exercise, or watch an ASMR video (thank you for bringing those up Mafioso - some of them are amazing), mindfulness is an amazing tool. We often lose sight of everyday signs, sensations, sounds, smells etc. A guy I know at AA brought it up. He was jonesing and called his sponsor and his sponsor asked him "What are you feeling?" "Well, I feel like I want to cop." "No, tell me what you feel, not your mental state. Tell me how the chair feels against your back. Is it warm or cold? Are there any distinct odors in the air? Look around the room and describe the furnishings of the room (without assigning judgment), tell me what's out the window? Is the sun shining? Is it cloudy?" etc. etc. It's a great way to get out of the moment and can be more easily done than some of the other techniques that can be suggested. I've even used it while driving a car since you don't necessarily need to close your eyes.

Aromatherapy is also a great mindfulness tool and my rehab therapist (who sold essential oils on the side) would even tell us what scents to mix according to the mood of the moment. I have them written down somewhere if I can find my rehab notebook.
 
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Hey Hannah, I remember you from way back in the day, nice to see you around. :) I had a different name then.
 
Some things that help me besides music and exercise are:
sleepy time tea, green tea, peppermint tea - tea time.
Meditation
Books
Animals
Aromatherapy
Epsom Salt bath soaks
Giving myself a break and taking it easy
Forgiveness
Love
Helping others
 
aihfl said:
In the moment, when you might not be able to go out for a walk, or exercise, or watch an ASMR video (thank you for bringing those up Mafioso - some of them are amazing), mindfulness is an amazing tool. We often lose sight of everyday signs, sensations, sounds, smells etc. A guy I know at AA brought it up. He was jonesing and called his sponsor and his sponsor asked him "What are you feeling?" "Well, I feel like I want to cop." "No, tell me what you feel, not your mental state. Tell me how the chair feels against your back. Is it warm or cold? Are there any distinct odors in the air? Look around the room and describe the furnishings of the room (without assigning judgment), tell me what's out the window? Is the sun shining? Is it cloudy?" etc. etc. It's a great way to get out of the moment and can be more easily done than some of the other techniques that can be suggested. I've even used it while driving a car since you don't necessarily need to close your eyes.

Aromatherapy is also a great mindfulness tool and my rehab therapist (who sold essential oils on the side) would even tell us what scents to mix according to the mood of the moment. I have them written down somewhere if I can find my rehab notebook.
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Gratitude and mindfulness are probably two of my most under used coping tools for me personally, and possibly some of the most effective. When I find myself storming around in terrible moods, if I pay attention to my thoughts I notice they are usually mostly about how things could/should be better or the negative aspects of my life. Taking a minute to correct my thinking, and reminding myself of all the things I have to be grateful for often calms me down. Often I realize that all the things I am angry or frustrated about, like things not going well at a job, car trouble, or plumbing problems, are all things that I should be grateful when taken a step back and looking at things from the grander perspective.

I haven't tried aroma therapy much, but it is something I think I really should invest in.

Today I decided to take some time to rest and relax after a busy week and having a busy week coming up. I didn't have work or school so I spent most the day playing video games and watching bob's burgers and napping. I go back and forth about during the day between feeling like I should be productive, and then justifying my time as self-care. Might have overdone it a little with the relaxation today, but I'm ready for the busy week coming up now... or today at least.
 
Mafioso said:
Gratitude and mindfulness
Click to expand...
These two are excellent additions and a big part of loving yourself. Just because you don't feel good about life doesn't mean you have to stop feeling good about yourself. The best way to feel good about yourself is to do good things that you won't regret later. This stuff isn't as hard as it seems.
 
This may sound terrible but it helps me to be grateful for what I do have to watch videos that show the bad parts of Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Detroit...etc.
Let alone the way some people live in other countries. Not even having clean drinking water.

Seeing the way some people are living makes me feel so bad on one hand but on the other hand it makes me feel so grateful for what I have and for my family and home and for the beautiful place I live.

When I am really feeling low I remind myself how lucky I am to not be paralyzed or to have to go to dialysis everyday or be in a wheelchair. I try to focus on what I still have and not what I have lost or my pain and suffering.

I am grateful and thankful! Things could always be much worse. I feel so blessed when I think about it deeply and I am!
 
Being in nature--even just in my own garden--and truly settling in and observing what's going on. What birds are here? What are the squirrels up to today? What's in bloom, what's taking a rest, etc? It's incredibly relaxing just to sit and soak it all in and after a bit you realize that you have not been consumed by your own worries, your own persistent chatter. In other words you have, without even trying, successfully removed the screen that is usually in place between you and the world around you. Right now my garden is a mess and it isn't even bothering me!;)
 
Nature is great... There is something humbling and inspiring about it. In all of the chaos, we are given time here to live. There is something about it's harshness that makes me appreciate things like just having food and shelter. Even with how unforgiving it can be, it still holds the nourishment we need to survive.

Tonberry, trying to remember that right now as I face some more consequences for my mistakes. There's an urge to kick myself while I'm down. I want to hate myself for what I have done, for the position I have put myself and family and friends in. Realizing how these mistakes can hurt other people even if i'm not physically hurting them. Things like having my twin sister tell me she worries about me overdosing every time she hears an ambulance are a punch in the gut(we live a few blocks away from each other). Acceptance is hard when only looking at the consequence. I'm trying to look past it, to where I want to be and focus on who I want to become.
 
Painful One said:
This may sound terrible but it helps me to be grateful for what I do have to watch videos that show the bad parts of Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Detroit...etc.
Let alone the way some people live in other countries. Not even having clean drinking water.

Seeing the way some people are living makes me feel so bad on one hand but on the other hand it makes me feel so grateful for what I have and for my family and home and for the beautiful place I live.

When I am really feeling low I remind myself how lucky I am to not be paralyzed or to have to go to dialysis everyday or be in a wheelchair. I try to focus on what I still have and not what I have lost or my pain and suffering.

I am grateful and thankful! Things could always be much worse. I feel so blessed when I think about it deeply and I am!
Click to expand...

I don't really think that's terrible. I always like documentaries about things like that for similar reasons. Something about it is shocking because of the bubble of comfort that I live in, which is easy to overlook when always seeing people with more. Watching a documentary about rich people born into money can make it harder to appreciate simple things like the fact that I always had food and a house, that I was able to get basic education before having to go to work, that I was brought up in a fairly decent area or even that I wasn't born addicted to crack... it's hard to appreciate these things when you are unaware.
 
Aside from walking, which I do upwards of 1 hour every day, I find that finding humor in things is really helpful when I am feeling down. Watching my favorite stand up (Bill Burr), or simply looking for hilarity in ever day life. Many things we and other people do are absurd, and should be joked about. No one's perfect, and that's really, really funny ;).
 
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