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MyPTSD Pro
or a happy memory. a lot of us here have lives filled with shit and garbage. maybe i am the secret optimist because i find myself wondering if there is a cache anywhere inside of anybody else of truly good things, too? does that exist, or is it only bullshit? did you see an ant today? do you like jalapeno poppers? or the weird noises goldfish make?
sometimes when things get to be too intense i have noted my mind's tendency to self-correct and self-soothe by defaulting to memories that i have which are positive. no matter how small that might be. sources of contentment. or pride. or accomplishment. one thing that i learned to do was if i was thinking to myself e.g. i am a piece of shit. i am worthless. i will never be worth loving. instead replace it by something that is nicer to think about.
the "positive self-talk" never really stuck. no, i'm actually amazing. please clap. because it felt like something a child would do. condescending. but i might instead remember my wedding day. or go help my daughter with her homework. or climb a tree. or something. it weirdly helps. on some level the negative thoughts are still there because i did not really address their source.
but it does make a difference to tell yourself no. that you are not going to engage with it, either.
sometimes when things get to be too intense i have noted my mind's tendency to self-correct and self-soothe by defaulting to memories that i have which are positive. no matter how small that might be. sources of contentment. or pride. or accomplishment. one thing that i learned to do was if i was thinking to myself e.g. i am a piece of shit. i am worthless. i will never be worth loving. instead replace it by something that is nicer to think about.
the "positive self-talk" never really stuck. no, i'm actually amazing. please clap. because it felt like something a child would do. condescending. but i might instead remember my wedding day. or go help my daughter with her homework. or climb a tree. or something. it weirdly helps. on some level the negative thoughts are still there because i did not really address their source.
but it does make a difference to tell yourself no. that you are not going to engage with it, either.
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