Coping Skills for Distress

byAmelaSandra
i will be moving on to 
my own website in 
September 2019, 
please enjoy my posts until then.
the website will feature much more personalized & in-depth information regarding my services as
& reliable, credible information where you can get to know the healing+recovery process 
from a professionally efficient manner.

The trigger of trauma can strike you at anytime it can be environmental, the temperature, a sound, something sudden.. Anything can trigger a flight-or-fight reaction. Trauma & depression can go hand in hand. If you have PTSD with depression recovery is much more specialized to cater your needs in nurturing the wounds in your mind. You begin to feel heavy muscle tension or even feel stuck with the inability to move, let alone flex a muscle.  

In turn with the physiological effects of frozen muscle tension, you may also experience cognitive distortions such overgeneralization and jumping to conclusions such as mind-reading and fortune telling.  

Dealing with depression isn’t easy and having this mental illness as part of the criteria with a much more dominant diagnosis requires a specialized recovery plan for self-care & ultimately knowing how to live a healthier life. Often you may look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself,  

• Am I ready to sort through the lies and separate fact from fiction? 

• When I think, do I think clearly & coming to the understanding of discriminating between what is a fact and what may be an overgeneralization or jumping to conclusions? 

• When I am under severe distress, am I able to use my coping skills which require removing all exterior forces and focusing on the facts of the situation rather than assumptions? 

• Do I set out a specific time & place for me to be whacky or simply allow myself to shout out my lungs?

Practice coping skills during the anxiety attack, here are some recommendations: 

•  for persistent anxiety attacks, if you’re very organized with time management, learn to manage your time better by incorporating down time into your busy schedule, take little steps until you are completely ready to dedicate an entire hour or two into your practice 

• replace negative/toxic habits with positive habits 

• create a relaxing playlist with a calming soothing sound, nothing too loud or out of beat 

• take in an activity, walk those three blocks rather than taking a car service, you’ll save a few extra bucks, ride your bicycle to work & from home or if that’s a stressful commute try changing the scenary by taking a greener route, ride your bicycle about through the park

• cook your favorite meal

• call a friend that you trust to confide in

• bake your favorite cookies

• get a holistic aromatherapy massage

In the moment Anxiety Attack:

• jot down the symptoms you're experiencing 

• take notice of what your mind is directly focusing on vs. what you're missing out

• stop physically. pause your mind. 

practice a breathing exercise. walk slowly & mindfully listen to your body

rather than your mind.

• if you have to run, jog it out

• find a less crowded area & stop there

Journaling:

• use a journal, to organize your experiences during the recovery process

• identify, recognize your symptoms 

• express your feelings, how do you feel at this moment

• if this is with another person, write in your journal how you'd like to communicate your

feelings 

• investigate, what in that moment or situation had triggered you to feel the way you did or say what you've said-- taking in personal responsibility to accept your reaction




pro-tip: your attitude & your reaction is not your character therefore you do have the ability to develop skills to change such attitudes & reactions, the difference between the three will be discussed in the newsletter.

byAmelaSandra

for more information on self-care recovery & safety planning,

contact: amelasandra_d@yahoo.com