Posted by papillon on January 17, 2012, at 2:52:00
In reply to I feel so...nervous, posted by Christ_empowered on January 17, 2012, at 0:36:25
Hi CE,
I am sorry to hear that you are feeling this way.
When I am feeling really anxious or distressed I try to do some of the self soothing and distraction techniques that I've learnt in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.
I might distract myself by naming in my mind 5 things I can see, hear, feel, taste, smell. Then 4, 3, 2, 1... - this I find really helpful in moments of intense anxiety or distress. You can do it anytime, anywhere, and no one needs to know.
I might also distract myself by doing easy/repetitive chores or errands, though the latter may be problematic for you.
I might self-soothe using the 5 senses by watching a candle flicker, having a warm bath, treating myself to something yummy (and eating/drinking it mindfully), listening to music, walking or stroking my dog. You might find comfort in praying and reading the bible, maybe talking with someone from your rehab program?
I know these suggestions may sound trite, but if you can shift your focus (even if only partially) just for 1 minute, 5 or 10 minutes at a time, you may find that you are better able to handle the (freaking uncomfortable!) feelings and the intensity may even drop. String them together and you'll find that you've got through the last half hour, couple hours, morning, day... in a better state than you otherwise would have and all in a healthy manner.
It helps to practice these techniques when you're not in a crisis, but you can start right now, wherever you are.
This website might give you some ideas: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/index.html
I found it through google and only took a cursory look, but what I saw looked good. There would be others.
poster:papillon
thread:1007544
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120108/msgs/1007547.html