Self Soothing For Male Sufferers

[shimmerz]

Another post got me to thinking about this. It was a post in which a female sufferer replied to a male sufferer that she used a stuffed kitty and a blanket to self sooth. I myself, use a teddy bear and the softest blanket known to mankind. When I fall asleep my friend (male), who is providing me with a place to stay, gets my teddy and tucks it under my arms at night. I am still clutching it in the morning. I feel like many women sufferers can more easily 'get away' with using child like props for soothing.

Maybe I am mistaken, but I don't feel like most men have this option with socialization being what it is and all. If this is true, I have a genuine interest (and feel it might be helpful for others), to know what you men do for self soothing that may be similar in effect for soothing?

 

[Deleted member 28812]

My husband uses chewing gum... and I recently learned that there is scientific data to back this up.

 

[Mit]

I watch and listen to live music performances on you tube. I love John Butler trio at the moment. Or play my vinyl.

On winter nights on my home from work I often park up at a remote spot over looking the sea. I lay across the back seats and listen to the elements and if it's clear gaze at the stars. My family don't know I do this.

 

[Lionheart]

I like to snuggle with my significant other but since I am single at the moment, I cuddle up under the blanket that my mother made for me with the plush blue teddy bear I bought myself just for this purpose.

It doesn't bother me that I am a grown man because I did not have a teddy bear as a child and think that I deserve to have one, but I tend to use it only when I am very upset. If I am lonely, I will snuggle with an extra pillow and hold it against my chest and stomach and fall asleep.

I also like to listen to and sing along to YouTube Videos and drink hot chocolate or hazelnut coffee. Sometimes I will make a "ritual bath" where I will add a few drops of essential oil to the bath water as well as some sea salt and take a long soak.

I also occasionally use cannabis to comfort myself as I find it to be a great stress buster and will add this to other self-soothe techniques.

 

[KwanYingirl]

Can minis huh? My daughter has been trying to get me to look into medical marijuana for PTSD relief. Do you use it only at night to calm down? Do you sleep through the night?

 

[Lionheart]

Do you use it only at night to calm down? Do you sleep through the night?

I use it during the day at home where there is a controlled environment (in combination with other self-soothe techniques) and use it at night to help me sleep. I have insomnia and so this is a big help for me.

I need to mention that I have several chronic illnesses for which I find cannabis to be helpful, such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue syndrome, PTSD, and depression etc.

 

[joeylittle]

To provide a different perspective, I don't think all self-soothing is tactile. I have problems with self-soothing in general, but nothing that I can touch or feel on my skin gives me any comfort whatsoever. Crossword puzzles are soothing to me. Puzzles in general. Took awhile for me to figure out that they were a soothing thing, not a distraction thing. But touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste - none of these are soothing for me at all. I'm a female.

 

[Spiderallis]

Scent is a good gender-neutral one, I think the awesome aromatherapy thread is under the meds/substances sub-forum? A dapper gent could add some scented oil to a hankie for on-the-go use. Mental stimulation that requires focus is nice, some kind of puzzle like a word search, sudoku, things like that. If those aren't an option a mental game might suffice, count how many blue things you can see for example. A smaller scale plush toy type keychain might be okay for a manly man- especially if it's a favorite superhero or something like that. I've got a tiny plush charm on my handbag for times it'd look too weird to have a stuffed toy, it works well enough to get by.

 

[moonbeam]

I don't see anything wrong with men having plushies but I get that they might feel weird because of society and stuff.

I usually turn to music on my head phones if there is somewhere private I can go to pace unobserved. I do have a teddy bear but he is more sentimental than anything as I got him when I was older from someone important.

I don't find scents or baths to be relaxing.

 

[KwanYingirl]

Saunas. The best word in relax. Detox. Warm to the bone. Nitey nite!

 

[Changing4Best]

When I was homeless and running away from my abuser, I was given a comforter to wrap myself up in. Now that I am safe, over 600 miles away from that abuser, I still have that comforter. I sleep with it alone, no blanket or sheet, just the fitted sheet under me. I've tried buying other comforters, to see if another one would be better, but I always go back to my original one. I love it the best. I am a woman, of course, as is evident by my profile photo and name here, but I thought I would reply anyway.

 

[Deleted member 28986]

A big hug. Cuddling. Getting under a warm blanket with pillows.

I miss my dog; he was a great cuddler too.