I research strategies for healing, and the ways that are potentially useful for my types of abuses. It is not an easy one to answer. I can't say for anyone else how to manage, and or go about that - because it might be the worst possible thing for you to do some days, and absolutely the right thing for you to do on other days.
Interesting question.
I research that drumming and music help reset the amygdala, so I learn music and do drumming lessons.
I research the ways in which Mindfulness can be useful - but also quite dangerous for people with trauma backgrounds - and I literally had to do research to find ways for me to do Mindfulness - a standard 8 Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, in combination with medication changeovers, and other triggering events, lead to suicide attempts in 2013, but now it is helping unpack a whole lot of stuff and I am in my body ways that I can't even imagine. But I wouldn't recommend Mindfulness for someone with depression or anxiety or PTSD, or long term childhood abuse, unless you have really done the rounds with CBT at the very least. And the creator of MBSR and the others say don't do it if you are in a depressive episode, and the teachers of that really need to not let people, in the state I was in, and I was very honest about it, into such a course. That is not sensible. I read a lot of research and came up with something tailor made to my particular trauma background. I was totally committed to doing the practises, come hell or high water, but in a tailor made way I constructed for me.
I research about exercise, and how much it can help reset the nervous system and assist with the regulation of emotions, so I draw up a mulitfacted exercise plan, and I stick to it and add in whatever extras that I can.
Now I am reading about setting boundaries, being grounded, compassionate assertiveness, and all that, so I am changing my ways of doing things again.
I read about nutrition, and I changed my diet, but it is a very unstable thing give my binge eating disorder, which is the best it has been for a long time.
I research about body work, and yeah that took a long time.
I research about a variety of things, and then I look at ways to make them routines, habits, part of the things that I do socially.
My social phobia has kept me a prisoner in my home, combined with the addicts etc that lived in the building. So I just choose a social situation, and I keep turning up until I bust that down.
My self hatred is ruling my life, so I research about Self Compassion, and I practise and practise and practise.
So research can be useful or it can be avoidance. I tend towards dissociation and avoidance, but when I do the finer researching I do find things that are particular to me and my situation.
Anthony mentions the top ten distorted cognitions and how we should know them like we know our phone numbers, I get the book and start working out the exercises.
My psychiatrist says you need to read X book. I read X book. Then I look at ways of breaking it down that I can do. For a long time the slightest little bit of self care triggered massive recriminations and suicidal ideation, so I had to work my ways around that, coming up with multiple strategies.
Simply Simon mentions a book about assertiveness that saved her life, I trawl the libraries to borrow it, it is not part of any of the library systems I belong to, or my partner belong to, I buy the book.
Research is really important to me but making what I find part of my routines, habits, daily activities, things I do with new acquaintances is really important.
I can't tell you how much research I have done on sleep, and it is still a challenging thing for me, but I do have much better patches now. Research, assimilate, refine knowledge, then apply.
