#recovery tips

[notoneopinion]

10 Ways I Soothe Anxiety

Hello. I have anxiety.

I have anxiety, but I have also managed to somehow keep a pretty good life for myself through it all. Getting out of bed when you have a paralysing fear of the world is not an easy task, but there are a few things I have found that make it that little bit easier, life that little bit smoother. And because we certainly don't gatekeep here, I thought I'd share the ten main ways I soothe anxiety. Basically, ten things I do to switch off and remove myself from my brain.

1. Turn your phone off.

An obvious one, but probably one of the most important. It's insane how clogged a person's brain will get when they spend their day glued to a phone screen. For me, it's not even just social media that sets me off, though that is a massive trigger for me and many other people; it's the phone in general. I could be playing Angry Birds for twenty-four hours and still finish the day feeling gross and anxious and guilty. The screen itself just makes me feel groggy, which in turn leaves me feeling anxious by the time I'm getting into bed that night. There are some days I will wake up, and just turn my phone off completely - usually days when I know I'm going to be at home all day, but still. That extended break from screen time is a life saver.

2. Fidget toys.

Okay, so I may also have autism.

But!!!! Fidget toys are miracle workers for all kinds of mental illnesses and uncomfortable feelings, so don't think you can't invest in some just because you're not on the spectrum. Fidget toys are literally made to soothe anxiety, so get yourself some!! I have one called a Tangle that I keep on me at all times, and I just mess with it in my pocket when I'm in a social situation and I don't know what to do with my hands, or I start feeling a little overwhelmed. It brings my fight or flight right down. I don't know the science behind it, but I honestly don't even care. Give me fidget toys, or give me death.

3. Model making, eg Legos, 3D puzzles.

Legos and 3D puzzles are another thing that has changed the game for me when it comes to anxiety. Like fidget toys, they are the perfect way to keep your hands busy, but they have the added bonus of keeping your mind busy, too. These are, of course, more of a relaxation technique, something you come home to after a stressful day rather than something to eliminate anxiety on the spot, but we'll take what we can get. These also keep you relaxed and distracted for hours, because there is hours worth of work to be put into them. Plus, they're very addictive - once you start on a Lego set, or a puzzle, you don't want to stop until it's finished. I've sat for eleven hours straight doing a Lego set just because I wanted to see the finished product as soon as possible, and during those eleven hours, my anxiety was non-existent. I was just enjoying myself the entire time.

4. Have a nap.

Very self explanatory, and yet controversial???

But genuinely, just go to sleep??? If you're having a gruesome day, and your mind is bullying you, and you're exhausted, just lay down and go to sleep. Fuck what other people say. There is nothing wrong with clocking out from the horrors of the real world for a few hours. As long as you get back up, all refreshed and ready to tackle another day, who cares??

5. Talk to a loved one.

I am very blessed that I can put this on the list. I know this can be a very difficult coping mechanism for a lot of people - trust me, I know. Growing up, my anxiety was my own, and not once did it ever occur to me to share that problem with anyone else. However, after meeting the right people, and understanding that nobody is going to be annoyed about hearing my problems, talking to people became one of the best and most useful coping mechanisms I've got. It can be as simple as sending your best friend a text telling them how you're feeling, or you can go all out and sit your Mum down with a cup of tea and bawl your eyes out. Getting those feelings out will give you a physical relief as well as a mental relief; the weight you've been carrying, a weight you probably don't even notice any more, will be gone in a matter of minutes. I promise you.

6. Exercise.

I know. I was shocked too. All those scientists that told us exercise and moving your body is good for your mental health were right. Bastards.

Just go on a walk. That's what I mean when I say 'exercise.' If you want to go to the gym and lift weights, or run a marathon, you go right ahead. More power to you. But by 'exercise' I just mean. . . move your body. Take the dog on a walk! Walk to the shop instead of driving! Get a bike! The tiniest bit of movement in a day can do wonders, whether we want to admit it or not.

7. Blast happy, sing-in-the-car music.

There's a playlist of Spotify that I highly recommend when it comes to wanting to escape reality and just have a good time. It's literally called Songs to Sing in the Car, and it's one of those playlists Spotify make themselves, just full of songs that you can sing at the top of your lungs, or blast through your headphones, and just have a real good time for a little while. I know it's easy sometimes to just go straight to that playlist full of sad songs that you can relate to in that moment, but try and go for a different approach - go find old bangers that you used to jump around to as a kid. It's a breath of fresh air.

8. Do chores.

Two in one baby!

A good chunk of the time, our anxiety is stemming from our to-do list, even if we're not thinking about it. All around us is evidence of all the unfinished tasks we've got to do, and that can really stress you out. Personally, whenever I'm anxious, I become almost camotose; I will just sit on the sofa and stare at the wall, feeling everything all at once. However, I've found that using this time to do little tasks around the house actually makes me feel better. I'm not saying I go and do a full massive clean; I might push myself just a bit to wash one or two dishes, or the whole sink if I can manage it. I'll hoover the living room floor. I'll go upstairs and put my clothes away. Just tiny jobs, only as much as I can push myself to do. A lot of the time, one job turns into two, and then two turns to three, and soon my house is spotless, and you know what they say - clean space, clear mind!

9. Take up knitting/ crocheting.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I only discovered this as a coping mechanism when I was suffering from really bad insomnia and I couldn't sleep; I somehow found myself watching YouTube tutorials on knitting, and I was overcome with this intense urge to learn. It was literally one in the morning, and I drove to my Mum's house (dragged my fiance out of bed to come with me, too, sorry babe <3) and grabbed knitting needles and some yarn. I was up knitting for about an hour, and I felt so relaxed that I actually managed to go to sleep! For the first time in days! So not only can you make really cute clothes and nick-nacks and learn a new skill, you're also relaxing that anxious brain of yours for a little bit.

10. Have a good cry.

Yeah. Just this.

[thedarksideofthesuns]

random mental health recovery tips cause why not

 Keeping a diary of ur mood, energy levels etc (whatever it is that you would like to improve) and ALSO looking at how it coincides with ur menstural cycle if you have one, and also any events in ur life THIS WAY you can track patterns of ur mood and notice what helps and what doesnt etc

create/ designate safe spaces if you can- for example if you go to work and need to be alone and safe where will you go? designate spaces eg the toilet or outside. for example at school i have designated this very empty outdoor space for me thats always empty and has fresh air. in my old school I had designated a specific toilet that felt calming to me idk ADDITIONALLY if you have your own room or any spaces that are completely your own then do what you can to make that space feel calming and safe to you- if not find other areas that you can go to when you need a safe space and need to be calm and alone- for me I have a lot of outdoor spaces like isolated parts of parks and whatnot

panic ritual: this one is a random one but it helps me a lot- i have a list of 3-5 activities to do whenever I panic like a little ritual. this deffo doesnt work if ur having a panic attack but if ur just worrying and overthinking and feeling anxious its a good way to get ur mind off of things and get you doing something else. for example for me if i am at home i do some skincare and then i get some fruit or veg and chop them into tiny pieces which calms me down a lot and then i sit down and watch a comfort tv show or movie while I eat the tiny fruits- or I make a hot choc depends what I have in the fridge.

setting small goals in random stuff: for example setting goals in things outside of your paid work or academics- things that you are not at all required to be good at, for example fitness goals (such as run a 5k) or musical instrument goals like learning a new song on guitar or learning a new language for fun of picking up a new hobby like painting or knitting.- this generally increases ur confidence and makes you feel more capable when you achieve these goals but even if you dont achieve them, they dont matter a lot to your career so its not vital that you achieve them

protein- i never eat enough protein or even know how much of it i should eat so after some research you should basically eat your weight in kg multiplies by 0.75 and that should be how many grams you should eat daily- for example if you weigh 50kg you should eat roughly around 37.5g of protein per day. it gives you energy and stuff so its cool i guesss ALTHOUGH IF YOU DONT FEEL COMFY TRACKING THAT PLEASE DONT, THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION ROUGHLY PLS DONT COUNT MACROS IF YOU DONT FEEL COMFY WITH IT

actually communicate with your loved ones and support systems, it can be scary but it is always so so helpful

THAT IS ALL I HAVE TODAY WOOHOO lets hope i follow my fucking advice for once and fix my mental health

[thesecrethirdthing]

I want to share a tip that has been helping me out lately in my ed recovery

Sometimes I struggle when I want to eat something between meals or have a snack (or merienda), especially when I crave something like a donut or a croissant or something like that, because I still think about calories or if it's healthy or not

So, I take a portion, like half of a donut, and I also take some fruit or other thing that it's safe or "more healthy" for me

In this way, it's a bit easier to trick my mind or challenge my intrusive thoughts

I hope this can help somebody who's struggling with something similar

[nerdy-as-heck]

I highly recommend using one of those nice looking notebooks to write down quotes or lyrics that really resonate with you, whether its a compilation of things that can make you feel life is worth it or just gives a lot of strong emotions

It's more effective to me than regular journaling ever was and always helps to pick up on bad days, here's a few of mine

[sandramiksaauthor]

What to do After You Relapse (11 Steps to Get Back on Track)

[obsessistential]

lately my mental health hasnt been the best, so ive been adjusting my reading goal to that! lately its been reading at least 2 pages of one book for fun/happiness, and at least two pages of another book for learning/self development every day! and of course if im engaged and feeling good i can read longer but if im not and just am completing the task i can stop :)

an example is today i read 7 pages of unbowed by wangari maathai, then 4 pages of the morphology of pteridophytes by k.r. sporne! 11 pages in total, and engaging my brain in both things that are educational and just enjoyable but in a form that is almost always doable !

ive noticed since beginning this sort of practice as well its been like helping me through depression lows because im getting the dopamine from completing a task that is good for me, but dont have to do too much unless i am genuinely feeling up for it and not busy :) plus, taking even just a little time to read a book thats educational is still building knowledge which is great for the brain!! its just a nice little system thats helped me during some rougher times n i hope it can help my fellow readers too :D

[dodgedriftdietrying]

CHS Recovery Tips!

(From someone who actually had a pretty bad case recently)

1. Cut it out entirely

I know this is difficult if you use it for chronic pain or anxiety, but the only way to get rid of the symptoms is to go cold turkey at least for the time being.

2. Buy Dramamine and Saltines

What you're gonna do is right after you wake up, force yourself to eat at least two crackers and thoroughly chew the Dramamine before you even get out of bed. Wait at least an hour before you try to eat, but this should allow you to actually eat something for breakfast.

The first day I tried this, I had already eaten that day and still ended up vomiting after taking it, but after the first week off it worked like a charm and allowed me to eat at least a little for breakfast.

3. Stock up on/get comfortable with yogurt/drinkable calories

Once you're off the Dramamine (took me about a week) you're going to want to eat something before you take your other morning medications. Maybe it's because CHS makes your stomach more sensitive but taking drugs on an empty stomach can seriously upset it, especially that early in the morning.

Aim for yogurts with 100+ calories because they will fill you up more if you can't eat anything else for a little while.

4. Don't be afraid of calories/ high calorie meals

Try and eat a heavy dinner. Once you're over the hump, dinner is going to be the easiest meal for you to eat so EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Breakfast is easily the hardest meal to eat but if you eat a big dinner you can avoid feeling hungry and the nausea that comes with it for long enough for your stomach to settle a little bit.

Best of luck, you will feel better, I believe in you!!

[lettersfromstacylovell]

Some Strategies to Reduce or Stop Drinking

Not all brands of alcohol are the same strength. If you don't want to stop drinking, then consider drinking drinks which contain less alcohol e.g. beer instead of brandy.

Involve your family or a friend. They can help you decide on a goal with regards to drinking and help keep track of progress.

Avoid high-risk drinking situations like going to the bar or meeting with others who drink (or who drink heavily, if you are aiming to control your drinking).

If you are drinking with others, drink at the same pace as the slowest-drinking person.

Know how to refuse a drink. Decide for yourself when and how much you want to drink.

Eat before and while drinking.

Pace your drinking. Plan how long you will be out and how many drinks you will have and stick to your plan; sip, don't gulp; put your glass down between sips; drink more slowly; alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.

Find other things you can do instead of drinking.

Talk through your problems and worries. Stress and worries can influence how much one drinks. Talking about them can be a good first step to dealing with problems related to alcohol.

Found this infographic online from a site called NextGenU. Idk if they’re legit or not so don’t come at me if they aren’t; I just liked the tips (alt text is in the bullet points above.)

[stargiirl27]

TW mention of eating disorders:

but to all my girlies trying to recovery, I'm begging y'all to add prunes into your diet and just more fiber in general get your digestive system back on track and make sure to drink plenty of water i love y'all

[positivelyadhd]

i have been reading through the diary I kept from ages 14-17 and realising how helpful it can be to keep a record of how you're feeling at different moments.

not only is it helpful to write down and process how your feeling and give yourself time to truly think about it, it's nice to have something to look back on. to not just remember how you felt about a certain situation but to actually have yourself from that time tell you.

and also, from an adhd perspective, it's really lovely to have reminders of things I'd almost entirely forgotten. it's easy to think that your life right now isn't interesting, but in 5 years time? to know what songs you were listening to or book you were reading or even that Thing that you were so worried about but now you can't even remember the details. it's nice to have a physical reminder that time passes and things really can get better.

[thedarksideofthesuns]

any tips for getting your shit together when depressed? PLEASE COMMENT THEM SO EVERYONE CAN SEE

[eatme3]

me bc this constipation has me extremely bloated and i look fat asf:

[nothing0fnothing]

hey I have some lived experience personal care advice I had to learn the hard way in my adulthood after growing up with abusive neglectful narcissistic parents. Maybe it will help someone else.

The most important room in your house to be clean is your kitchen. If you only have a few spoons and a whole house of mess, spend them on getting your kitchen clean, hygienic and tidy enough to be usable.

spending money on things that last longer or work better isn't a waste of money. You don't have to use the cheapest of everything because spending is bad work out what YOU think is worth splurging on.

Always buy the best shoes you can afford. Taking care of your feet is so important for your health. If you're afab the same goes for underwear, buying one pack of good quality, good fitting cotton breathable underwear will save you so much money on feminine care supplies if you get what I'm saying.

Get your feet measured in a shoe store. Especially if you're over 25 your feet will have grown since you were 18. I spent years thinking my body was wrong because my feet ALWAYS hurt. My girlfriend suggested we measure them and I realised I was in shoes two sizes too small. For years!! I didn't even know shoes were supposed to have space in them.

a cheap bottle of washing up liquid (dish soap) costs like £1 and can be used on basically every surface. Clean your counters, toilet, sinks, bathtub or shower, oven and hob with a scrub daddy and some cheap washing up liquid. It doesn't react with other chemicals and it cleans deeply and easily. I even use it on the inside of the shower glass where it collects that crusty water residue.

When bathing with an unscented bar soap everywhere first. Then wash a second time with your scented soap. The scented liquid soap isn't designed to clean you it's designed to make you smell beautiful.

Don't use scented soaps on your kitty. Don't use femfresh or other feminine washes on your kitty. Don't use feminine wipes on your kitty. You use your unscented bar soap you use on the rest of your bodh on your kitty once a day. That's all it needs.

You don't need sewing skills to mend things. A £5 sewing kit you keep somewhere in your house and maybe a 2 minute YouTube tutorial is all you need to fix holes in your clothes and make them last longer.

Cereal for breakfast is quick and convenient but aim to eat protein for your first meal. Things like eggs, meat, a protein shake, Greek yogurt. You'll feel fuller for longer and your body will appreciate it.

most things don't need to be ironed. For the things that need creases out a steamer is better for the fibres and easier to use. Simply hang up the item and hold the steamer against the creases.

[safe-haven-safe-place]

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

5 Things That Can Help With Autistic Burnout

Emergent Divergence: The neurodivergent ramblings of David Gray-Hammond

[sk-lumen]

10 gentle ways to recharge when you're low battery

🧘🏻‍♀️ meditation

😴 taking a nap

🚶🏻‍♀️ going on a long walk

🐈 cuddling with your pets

📚 reading a book to disconnect from your life

🧖🏾‍♀️ going to the spa or taking a long bubblebath

🛌 peace and quiet decompressing in your own room

🫖 drinking relaxing tea like chamomille, valerian, etc

🎧 listening to frequency (Hz) music for hours in the background

🍿 watching a cozy tv show where you can switch off mentally/emotionally while you eat your fav comfort food