Picture Books / Photoalbums Of Coping Mechanisms & Tools

[Friday]

I was curious if anyone has ever used something along the lines of the picture by picture recipes, or Autism flashbooks, instead of written lists...for coping mechanisms, tools, daily routines, etc.?

When I'm not doing well, words make less and less sense, and my memory is about non-existent. Not a great combo. Unless it's a routine so automatic I don't even need to think about (which is what I try to build into my life), I plain and simple cannot remember in the moment what helps. Or what I'm supposed to be doing.

I misplaced this morning doing that. Once I was done with the shaking & puking, my mind was just blank. As always. Whenever I get stuck in the past, or my anxiety has reached a certain level, I can act/react but not think. What to do? What am I supposed to be doing? f*ck. Until -finally- pic of my running shoes flashed into my head. Hours. Later. Oh right. That. It occurred to me, when my mind is just not processing lists, that I wished I had a flip book of photographs -like of my running shoes- to jog my memory.

I'd like something tactile eventually (maybe), easy enough to print out pics, laminate the suckers, & throw them on a key ring... But for now I'm just snapping pics with my tablet & putting them in photo albums on my tablet. It's more subtle this way, I suppose. People flip through the pics on their phones all the time.

My unhealthy coping mechanisms I have no problem remembering. :facepalm: But trying to build good routines up again out of the chaos has been an exercise in frustration. IDK If this will help, but I figure it's worth a shot.


* I don't know whether to post this here, or in Flashbacks/Disassociation, or Discussion. But since it's mostly about coping mechanisms? Here won by a nose. If it suits better elsewhere <grin> Well then mods have probably already moved it.

 

[Ronin]

How are you with magazines & mall discounts lists & advertisement leaflets, picking stuff from that and re-using it as cards? (Or collages, or what have you. I have collages to remember portions of my life that way and cards out of mall papers for short term memory stuff.)

And could you use small objects for the tactile part of things? (Might help in case you need to play with something / hand moves all the time.)

 

[Friday]

LOL... Very much collages & small objects.

My exHusband destroying my photographs is no small part of what kicked the anchor free. Same, how I remembered portions my life. Keeps things real. Kept things real. <chuckling> As for objects... Even during good years, my bag had everything I needed, even wore it when cooking, bad years what I needed was either strapped to me or I just didn't need it that badly. Don't get me wrong, even in just skin I can figure it out, but... Reality. Things kept things real & present. Images reminded me.

^^^ Both of those things? Something I'd completely forgotten.

 

[Ronin]

What about anything, sticked / taped to a lighter? As far as I know they're all use items so smallish notes on them might be in the spotlight.

Q: Are we talking difficulty with recall here, or recall-meaning matching or what scope of difficulty? I'm assuming recall but the ideas I'm having aren't applicable when making sense of things implicitly flies out the window.

 

[scout86]

I haven't tried it (yet) but I like the idea! And, I thinking it would be worthwhile considering what I'd pick for pictures. My T is always going on about using all our senses. Visual is important for most people, but the other senses are important too.

How do you do with sounds? Music can affect my mood. I can see how a specific playlist might be useful. My T says he think "kinesthetics" (probably misspelled) is one of the major ways I remember things and it's a big part of how I process the world. I wonder how you'd use that?????

Very interesting idea!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[City Slicker]

LOL! I love those ideas.

I think the moment we are diagnosed with this horrid ptsd 'thing' we should be given a 'PSTD Kit'.

It should have a key ring with blank squares on which we can laminate our own visual signposts and a key ring size music player on which we can record our own play lists.

And 'cause it's the size that would fit on a key ring, we can take it anywhere, anytime.

 

[laurainalameda]

I actually have a small box, a food storage box meant to hold a sandwich that I carry in my purse. It has grounding toys, photos, a small egg of play doh, a silk scarf with perfume on it, and index cards with skills written out. And ginger candy. It has really helped me sidestep or diminish meltdowns and flashbacks and so forth. Laura

 

[Ronin]

... aand magnets. You know those little things representing activities / pets / food kids learn with? Might be worth putting them where one can see them. (And idea went to fridges to be sure, if that's where you keep your food & drinks. Assuming one remembers to go for nutrition in a bad state, which I gather isn't guaranteed / takes effort on its own.)

Which reminds me kid books may be useful too: they portray a wide spectrum of activities, from cooking and sleeping to gardening and sporting and outdoor stuff, so one could go by flicking through the pages and A-ha moments, this bit I need to do in my day too.

 

[joeylittle]

I made flash cards with all sorts of DBT-style distress tolerance prompts on them, and I keep them in a box.

I also have been known to put post it notes up in every room.

I'm ok with words - but I think any version of the same with pictures would work. The thing is, you need to condition yourself to go for the prompts as soon as you notice yourself sliding, and then just commit to it for at least 10 minutes. I set the alarm on my phone, but I keep wanting to get a 10-minute sand timer for home, just because it would be easier.

If it's not working after 10 minutes I go to the next thing.

 

[sun seeker]

My T says he think "kinesthetics" (probably misspelled) is one of the major ways I remember things and it's a big part of how I process the world. I wonder how you'd use that?????

Make up and memorize a dance miming each of the things on your list of things to do? (And be sure to practice it when alone, or expect some very odd looks.)

 

[Ronin]

(following on Sun's post 'or expect odd looks')... you can always tell people something like What? Are you envious you don't have that good tools to memorize stuff? I'm my own drama and dance class combined:sneaky::angelic:

 

[The Albatross]

I had a time when I was playing with the motivational poster generator... because it was interactive and creative, it helped me to hammer home some of the management skills points Friday:

https://www.myptsd.com/threads/playing-with-the-motivational-poster-generator.23843/

I also read, then type into a word file... so I can slow down the words/reading... and read it again... 3 times is better than one for my brain.