Coping techniques for anxiety, depression, fear, etc.

Hi gang,

I thought we should have a thread for listing effective coping techniques for anxiety, depression, fear, depersonalization,  derealization, and any other emotions or general weirdness.  Once we have a bunch of em maybe we can turn it into a manual or guide for coping.

Please feel free to describe any coping techniques that you use.  I'll go first...

For: anxiety and paranoia

Technique: Calming Visualization

Description: a few years ago when I was in the ER for a panic attack (I thought I was having a heart attack), I was really freaked out and felt like a trapped animal.  There was a very nice, compassionate nurse who saw what kind of shape I was in and said a phrase I'll never forget - "Blue sky, white clouds".  She said it several times and told me to shut my eyes and visualize the blue sky and white clouds while I said the phrase.  I transformed almost instantly and became much calmer.  I still use this technique and it still works great.

Please share your coping techniques - you may really help somebody...

Be well,

Elwood

Thanks Elwood,

For mild to moderate insomnia/anxiety, one of the most effective things for me, non drug/supp, is breathing and counting. Breathe in for the count of 4, hold for a count of 4, then breath all the way out. I usually fall asleep by the 4th breath. 

It really works for me. I may wake up a bit later, but I just do it again. It actually causes physiological changes in your brain chemistry, shutting off the 'fight-or-flight' syndrome.

That's a good one Eljay.  When you breathe and count, are you trying to focus on the breathing and counting?  In other words, are you trying to not think of anything else and just focus on what you're doing?  No inner dialog other than the counting?

For insomnia, I have found that listening to music through my headphones puts me to sleep pretty quickly.  I try to totally focus on the music and not think.  I'm usually asleep by the 3rd song.  I wake up an hour or two after that and am wide awake - the music doesn't work at that point.  So usually I just get up and move around for a while until I get tired.  I do a few chores while I'm waiting to get tired.  Then I go back to bed and usually back to sleep.

That's a good one Eljay.  When you breathe and count, are you trying to focus on the breathing and counting?  In other words, are you trying to not think of anything else and just focus on what you're doing?  No inner dialog other than the counting?

 

Well Elwood, basically that is the idea, but honestly it's not totally neccessary. Just the act of deep breathing can kick in the parasympathic nervous system, which releases the antianxiety brain chemicals and puts you to sleep. It didn't work well for me when I had severe insomnia, but even then it would put me out for a few minutes at a time. But for more moderate insomnia, it works wonders. 

Coping techniques for Panic Attacks are going to vary from person to person, simply due to the nature of the beast. I use both mantras and deep breathing together in order to gain the upper hand.

Essentially, this is the pattern I use (I also use it for Yoga):

1. Breath in for seven counts using the diaphragm. Breathing from our upper chest will create unnecessary tension that will actually increase the level of panic and thus not work in terms of providing a release from the grip of our panic. This breathe should be taken in through the nose and, if possible, done one nostril at a time.

2. Hold the breath for seven counts. If you can feel your heartbeat, like me, use your heartbeat to count the progression of the numbers. The reason for this is because you'll actually feel your heart beat begin to slow and this has a distinct calming effect.

3. Breathe out through the mouth for eleven counts. The reason we want to use our mouth instead of our nose is so we can clear out as much air from the lower lobes of our lungs. This is what we call a "cleansing breathe" and you'll feel great after a few repetitions.

4. Once you've done this, take a normal breath for four counts using the nose and exhale for four using the nose. Repeat steps 1-4 until you feel control.

Another good thing to do is stop the panic dead in it's tracks!

This is going to sound easier than it looks but the essential idea here is to question the likelihood of something happening to you. For example:

If you're walking through the mall and you feel your heart begin to race, the first thing you might think is "Oh my God, I'm having a heart attack!". Of course, you know deep down inside that it isn't likely at all, but your mind begins to take this thought and race with it until you're left gasping for air and feeling like absolute crap. First of all, remind yourself of two things:

1. Not ONE person has ever died from a panic attack. Not even injured! They might have been embarrassed, but that's the worst of it.

2. The symptoms of a heart attack are far greater than just a racing heartbeat.

In this respect, you should be able to take the sign of what you're feeling - racing heart rate - and realize that it's not a heart attack, but panic. If you look at it logically, you should be able to put a stop to the rampant thought and stop it before it escalates into something greater.

You can also make light of the situation!!

Wait a second, you say to me... how can you make something as horrible as a panic attack more lighthearted?! That's easy!

Add cartoon sound effects and voices.

One of my rampant fears if that I'm going to die... now, if I start thinking about it, but add silly Tom and Jerry style music and have a Donal Duck voice telling me that "You're going to die" it suddenly seems funny and completely absurd. Believe me, THIS WORKS. It takes practice, but it does work.

--- more to come... on anticipatory anxiety and how to stop it from becoming a problem.

This is the rainbow meditation-Sometimes our bodies are out of alignment and lacking in certain colors. It's always kind of interesting to see which color you are most drawn to then look up what it stands for. Either way it gives you something to think about and take your mind off what is bothering. I like to do this.

Imagine, see with your mind's eye,

  Feel with your inner knowingness that you are far out in space

      Far from Earth.

  You look back at earth, and it appears

      As a small ball of shining blue-green light

      About the size of your fist.

  Now see the Earth as surrounded in a rose - pink Light.

  This is a light of Protection, of Love, and Peace.

  In essence a prayer for the planet without words

      A prayer that uses Light.

And now you feel yourself being drawn back to the Earth.

  You accept the "pull" to return and you enjoy the "ride"

      Of returning to the Earth's atmosphere.

As you begin your slow descent through the first few layers

      of the atmosphere,

  And into the warm sunlight,

  You find yourself in a brilliant, soft blue sky

      Dotted with large puffs of clouds.

Slowly, your attention is captivated by the biggest

  And most beautiful rainbow you have ever seen.

  You head toward the rainbow

      and its magnificent brilliant colours.

You find yourself gliding into the midst of the rainbow,

  Totally immersed and surrounded by the first colour - red

  You breathe in the colour red and

      Take in all the positive aspects of the color red.

  Feel, see, or imagine yourself

      Filled and surrounded by the colour red.

  Be the colour red.

Now feel yourself floating out of the colour red

  And into the next colour of the rainbow, the colour orange.

  Again feel, see, or imagine yourself

      pausing here in the colour orange.

  All you can see is orange, breathe in the colour orange.

  Be the colour orange,

      The most beautiful shade of orange you can imagine.

Next, you find yourself moving into the next color,

  Which is the colour yellow, your favourite shade of yellow.

  Here, totally surrounded by yellow

  You take a deep breath of pure yellow light.

  Feel, see, or imagine yourself

      As being filled and surrounded by yellow light.

In a moment, you are gliding on to the next colour - green.

  You are now in the middle of the rainbow,

  Take a deep breath

  And fill yourself with the wonderful healing energies of green

  The colour of growth, creativity and healing.

After you have basked in the green light

  And bathed in its essence,

  Feel yourself gently floating into the next colour,

  :  A delicate shade of pastel blue.

  Move until you are totally immersed in the blue light.

  Breathe it in, and see it completely surrounding your body.

Continue moving now, gliding over into the next colour

  Which is indigo, a dark purplish-blue,

      the colour of the midnight sky.

  Feel, see, or imagine only this colour,

      This light filling and surrounding your body.

Now mover over in to the next colour which is violet.

  Linger in this colour a short time,

      Breathing it in, filling and surrounding your body

      With the radiant violet light.

Then move over into the last colour

  A blend of all the colours - white.

  A most beautiful, radiant, lustrous White Light.

  Here you stay for a moment

      Rested, rejuvenated, and invigorated.

  Bathing and basking in the wondrous healing White Light.

It is time now to leave,

  You remember the healing you have just had with the Light,

  And with all the colours of the rainbow.

  With gratitude, and a feeling of total renewal,

      You prepare to return to the here and now.

Eljay, Pete, Haljes -

Those all look like good techniques.  Eljay & Pete - sounds like you guys realize the connection between the breath and the mind.  And Haljes, you have us going through the same colors as the chakras (from the bottom up).  Your rainbow meditation would be good on a cd - it's kind of like self hypnosis.

There are almost an infinite number of coping techniques - does anybody know any others? 

openfocus.com/

This book and the accompanying CD have helped me immensely.

Its a guided meditation to help one widen your attention, instead of being narrowly focused. The power of an open focus attention is incredible.. the first time I listened to the CD, by the end I was THE MOST RELAXED I have EVER been in my life... more so than the very first time I took a benzo (you know, back when they were still useful instead of a demon). And this from just changing my pattern of attention.

For those of you who know how to use bittorrent, some of the CD's can be found on bittorrent. Not sure if the book is available for download anywhere...

Anyways, hope this helps other people as well.

Edited to deactivate commercial link. -Beeper