How Do You Cope?

[blueangel371115]

We all have many ways of coping and i'm just curious to hear others. I like to go to church, target shoot, sing to name a few.

 

[Tiger Kitten]

I play World of Warcraft to keep myself from isolating too much. I read information to try to figure out why I am doing what I am doing, feeling the way I am feeling, and how to fix what's wrong. I have so much to learn about how to relate to others. I knit to combat anxiety. I listen to music to counteract bad moods. I write poetry to release painful emotions. I take walks to control anxiety if it's manifested more physically then mentally. I snuggle up with my cats to self soothe. I curl up and watch certain movies to change my mood or release pent up emotions. I read the dictionary to settle my thoughts when they become like a whirlwind. I rhyme words sometimes to keep my thoughts occupied. When I am starting to panic I often pick a word and try to figure out where it came from or why it can mean seemingly totally opposite things. (Right now am working on why a banana isn't called a yellow. After all, an orange is called an orange and is also a color.)

I am pretty much just a bundle of coping techniques. If I really think about it, I don't do much other than do things to cope. Maybe life is about coping whether one has PTSD or not. We eat to cope with hunger. We drink to cope with thirst. We sleep to cope with tiredness. Really what isn't a coping technique? Some coping techniques are just more healthy than others.

Some days I start thinking way too much.

Tiger

 

[Lethe]

I do lots of physical exercise. I'm on the rowing machine in the morning, lifting weights in the evening, pushing around a weight sled on the weekends. I'll also work on math or logic puzzles. Having to sit there and focus on the problem and work it through keeps me busy and distracted.

 

[BioHazard]

I like to work on cars, either doing maintenance, or restoring older Japanese Imports. I also like to do body work and paint cars. To combat bad moods, I listen to upbeat rock music from the 1980's. To help with my control issues, my shop is kept in OCD-like order. Each tool hasd a place, and there can only be even numbers of tools in each drawer/on each shelf. On paranoid days, I will take my old Toyota to an abandoned timber company's property and drive it as fast/ dangerously as necessary to work out the stresses. They have a large, flat, open places where they used to have portable office buildings set up, and I will set up about 50 or 60 orange traffic cones in a winding route and drive the course as fast as I can.

I also like crossword puzzles and puzzle games, to help with keeping my brain active.

 

[Tija]

I also do a lot of different physical exercise every single day. The one I love the most is Hula Hooping. It is the best,because it seems to have this hypnotic effect. What I mean, is that if I don't concentrate on my moves, the hula hoop will fall down! It's just plain F-U-N :smile:

I also like to write in my journal, to sort out thoughts and feelings.. There's nothing quite like the magic of writing..

Another one that comes to mind, is fur therapy. I have a bunny at home, but also spend a considerable amount of time at the beach, where there are others to care for. It makes me feel alive.

Finally, going to church and singing. Singing breeds joy in me.

 

[Cryptantha]

I play World of Warcraft (probably too much), translate Japanese manga (comics), pet my cat (Miko), and read series of books I consider comfort reading (I've read them time and again, but it's safe because I know the endings).

 

[rjtransient]

I get deeply involved in studying. I can get lost in Wikipedia. I browse a site called Everything2 which is as addictive as Wikipedia, except that there's both factual and creative content. Sometimes I find the best unpublished short stories. Someone who goes by "thecustodian" keeps an immense active list of recommended books, so I'll randomly sift through those. I go to eclectic blogs like Blue Tea when I want to see what's new and interesting on the Internet: short surrealist games, industrial photography, biotech news; or the guy who poured 80,000 litres of copper sulfate solution into an abandoned apartment building and covered every visible surface in glittering blue crystal.

This kind of stuff cheers me up, gives me some sort of connection to the real world, and lets me zone out when that's all I can do.

When I need distraction or focus, I listen to music. When I want the world to disappear or when I've stopped feeling real, I listen to music compulsively. I make playlists that converge on a theme.

I used to run marathons until I injured my knee permanently, but I still go hiking. Sometimes I ignore the pain and go back to running. There's nothing like the high after running twelve miles.

When everything starts to suck and there's nothing I can realistically do, I switch tracks and take risks I wouldn't have otherwise. I force myself to meet new people from very different walks of life and actually go somewhere together, try something new. I take up new hobbies that require physical and mental focus. I'm into metalworking and branding. I fantasize about the new activities I'd take up if I had a limitless income.

I spend too much time outdoors.

 

[anni]

I re-read favorite books. My all-time favorite book on the planet is 'Killer Angels' by Michael Shaara. I'm not a Civil War buff per say ( the Yank Civil War ) but I also cope by just learning pretty much anything I can get my hands on and the various wars get fascinating from a ton of perspectives. Re-reading great books is rather like visiting with vastly familiar old friends, and you get to leave your home and your head for awhile.

Anni

 

[sidekick]

I have new healthier ways to cope that have replaced my old ways. I have picked back up reading an occasional book and the Bible. I go to Church and then a Bible Study once a week. I take my little one to the library for story time once a week and to the playground at least twice a week. I go for a walk with her at least once a week and have plans to walk regularly once she is in preschool with some friends.

I work from home and part of that job requires me to shop :) I love to shop and part of that thrill is looking for the best sale~bargain. It is very theraputic for me and relaxing. I also scrapbook and listen to Christian music currently.

I was never an outgoing person and am now finding myself more outgoing and enjoying going out and doing things, which in turn helps with other things, including lessening my anxiety.

When I feel the need to cry or have had an emotional day, I will watch a movie that will make me cry in the evening to help rid me of some of those feelings. It always seems to help.

I do my best to avoid situations that I know will "trigger" me or set my anxiety sky high.