Snoop's chill. Via GIPHY.com!
Hello, world!
It's a new day. Sun's not out like it was over the weekend. Spring is a tease >.<
Coping mechanisms are my weakest suit.
I'm full of hobbies and random interests (I garden, volunteer, compost, and I have this fantasy of one day collecting wind chimes......), but they're all passive activities. None of this sounds tasty when all you want to do is scream or punch a wall O.O
"Coping mechanisms are the strategies people often use in the face of stress and/or trauma to help manage difficult or painful emotions," GoodTherapy.org says.
Though you may have healthy coping mechanisms in general (going running, grabbing lunch with a close friend, reading), these tricks might not be as substantial when life is kickin' ya. Some folks go into high drive and commit to their interests obsessively (not good), other folks may forget about 'em altogether (that would be me*).
I've struggled with finding the right coping mechanisms for me because I've been in some emotional denial. Lol. For the longest time I told people that I never got angry. I believed the disillusion of "How are you so calm?!" while in the heat of stress meant a lack of having anger at all.
Apparently I was just a calm Buddha with no worries. I couldn't be more wrong. lolz. The anger was just suppressed.
In the last couple of weeks, I've started paying more attention to my bodily reactions during times when I tune my usual interests out. Some folks get shoulder pain, knots, or bulgy veins. My emotions hang out in my hands. They get fidgety, they tremble, they get tight and crackle more often, I ravenously pick at my nails and thumbs.
All of these cool, subconscious jolts and releases taking place, and not a single passive activity was helping them out. Not that the activities themselves had adverse affects, but I wasn't listening to what my body wanted during times of heavy stress.
Soooo I bought a Nintendo DS!!! :-O I got it in the mail yesterday and ran to Gamestop after work. It gives me something non-neutral to focus on, and my hands are completely engaged. The nerdy flashbacks don't hurt either. So far so good!
The real test will be to try this out when I'm feeling angry and fidgety.
Next up on the solution list: joining a boxing gym. A hard workout that keeps not only my hands but my entire body moving should be spicy. Will keep ya'll posted on the outcome ;p
If you're likin' what you're readin', ga'head and drop me a line below ;) While you're at it, catch up on my last blog: "Do You Feel Like Screaming? Maybe That's What You Should Do Rn" (Heh.) Thanks for hanging out!