hi. i'm anne and this is a video i have beenwanting to make for a long time largely because looking back there were several occasions in my life where i probably would have benefitted from watching something like this i have struggled with depression and anxiety for several years now and i continue to struggle. mental illness sucks. it makes simple things very difficult, itmakes good things hard to see and it inflates bad things until they are all you can see. and i think if you're watching this, you kinda know what i'm talking about
the important part though is that we are not doomed. there are many treatment options out there and there is a lot you can do yourself to sneak some comfort, control, and even enjoyment back into your life. this is what this video, and the upcomingnext videos are about: nifty little life hacks to make life withbrainweasels a little easier. "brainweasels" is the repressentative catch-all term we're going to use for all kinds of mental illness, toremind you that this is not about science, it's about people. and weasels. because theyare nice to envision.
despite the incredibly professional attire i am wearing right now i am not a doctor or healthcare professional. in the grand scheme of things, i don't know jack. here, i talk about thingsthat have worked for me or people i know. mental health is an incredibly complex issueand mental illness comes in many shapes and forms. there are many ways to treat and approach it and you need to figure out what works best for you these videos are about living with depression and anxiety not about severe mental distress. if you are in severe mental distress right now, please get help. i am including emergency phone numbers and relevant links in the video description.
but enough disclaiming, let's get to it today we're talking about emergency coping, things to try when mental pain overwhelms you the idea here is to get to know yourself and to try anything you can think of to make you feel better and don't shy away from supposedly odd or weird coping mechanisms. life is far too complicated to try to besane and proper. there are a lot of physical things you can do to calm down and reframe your situation some of those make use of your body's natural responses to impulses, others are just nice, and nice things are good. hug something. anything. or have yourself hugged by another good human.
if there is no one around to hug or youaren't feeling up for human touch right now find the tiniest possible space to crawl into. or, of course, the opposite. find a high vantage point, get out, get above it all. plus, wind is wonderful. to me, at least. personally, i find rain incredibly calming when my moods fail to control the weather though, a cold shower works in a pinch or a hot bath. you do you. distraction! there are many seasons of many shows streaming online on many platforms. your main job right now is to survive. sorewatch all of the office
while your brain forgets that it was shouting mean things at you and becomes cooperative again i know it can be incredibly difficult to getup and do anything. but moving around can work wonders to make your mind calm down and help you refocus and feel better just five minutes is all you need and basically any physical activity is fair game cover yourself in a blank. in fact, have a friend help pile covers and blankets on top of you write. write down the bad thoughts your mind is yelling at you. then go rational scientist on yourself
and collect evidence to contradict and disprove the all-black depression thought. because depression lies. examining exactly why it's wrong won't necessarily make you feel better in the moment but it will help to loosen the grip of the brainweasels on your mind. this may be a topic for another video. personally, i hate it when people tell meto smile when i'm not feeling well but according to science there actually is something to that. engaging the facial muscles that make us smile actually does make you feel better. create a playlist that calms you down or that resonates how you feel and makes you feel less alone. or that makes you dance. or all of the above.
activities. anything you can do to positively occupy your mind to keep it from imploding upon itself find a hobby to comfort and distract you. in fact, find several. i started folding tiny paper elephants. but you canâ´also knit, bake cupcakes, go skateboarding, pull weeds, do yoyo tricks, collect rocks,throw rocks, don't throw rocks. i mean really absolutely anything that works as a positiveritual when the brainweasels attack. breathe. the 4-7-8- breathing technique has been going around the internet recently, and it is a great way to focus on something else and get your body to kick out of fight-or-flight-mode inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. repeat twice more or as often as you need
deep and slow breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system so instead of preparing to fight for your life or run from a rabid tiger you are telling your body that its safeto go to sleep. or digest food. r ponder or ponder how pretty the clouds are. make some tea. holding warm beverages is scientifically proven to prime your brain for good things even more so, it's a caring ritual, it's a reasonably simple thing you can do right now and tea is delicious take two tylenol and go to sleep. this advice comes to you from my best friend kelly's very wise grandmother and there is actual science to back it up now. this won't fix everything. but odds are good you'll feel better in the morning.
don't overuse this one, though. tylenol has side effects and you'll still need your liver later but brainweasels don't commonly wait for convenient times to attack. sometimes they strike while you're out and about. so here are some things you might consider caring with you with you for emergency preparedness a scarf - they come in all sorts of colors and materials so they fit into every season. it's a socially accepted portable blanket that you can use as a makeshift tent to hide in when needed. distractors like books and music and such... smart phones make great distractormashinesand you can put your playlist and maybe even
an episode of your favoirite show on thereso you have them availeable even if you dont have internet access. and of course keeping a book with you is a very good rule for anyone and always a rock. yes. weird. i know. but holding to a rock can be intensly comforting i keep tiger balm in my bag, because i'm a ridiculous hippie but any sort of lip balm or hand lotion works great too it's all about little self care rituals that you can do to focus on something nice for a moment. the active distractor hobbies from earlier still work. of course, if your normal hobby isn't portable you have to come up with something else
that fits into your bag or pocket. so maybe do master the yoyo. or download a bunch of games onto yout phone. a lemon. this is especially for high anxiety days. bite into a lemon slice to stop a beginning panicattack. this also helps some headaches. twitter or the social network of your choice this is about distraction but also about connection so keep your networkfree of toxic people. my twitter timeline is a big virtual room full of passionate, caring people chattering about random ridiculous, wonderful and important stuff.
it's a really good place to be. the point of all of this, as i said in the beginning, is this: figure out what works best for you. then do that. don't worry if your coping strategies seem a bit odd. being alive is hard and oddness can make it so much more bareable please share your experiences, tips, tricks and lifehacks in the comments. this is about helping each other and making connections. but most importantly, listen to me right now, because odds are you need to hear this and there may not be anyone else to tell you right now it will be fine. you can and will get through this.
you are not alone. and you are okay. you matter. you are valuable and you are important. you are stronger than you know. but you don't have have to be strong all the time. you get to be sad and scared. those feelings are valid. but also don't forget that depression lies and anxiety is an idiot. they cloud your vision. but that brainweasley fog will pass you will get through this. and you are here. no matter how lost or broken you may right now - you are still here.
and you will find happiness and you'll lose it again. and then you'll find an even better one. but it will be fine. i promise.