What are your coping mechanisms when you're feeling down? (e.g. heartbroken, lonely, some kind of negative experience, a run of bad luck, feeling deeply afraid or unsure of something such as coming out etc...) As in, when you're life is usually pretty cruisy but then you hit a rough patch. I'm aware that depression and mental illness need more than just coping mechanisms. In the past, mine have been things like meditation, self-help/spiritual books, intense exercise and/or dieting regimes. I guess they made me feel like I had full control of a part of my life (my mind/body).
I use art, but meditation is awesome. Meditation really teaches you to stop and smell the roses, and helps you stop worrying about how scary the passing of time can be. Music is a huge help, for depression and anxiety both. Dancing alone in your bedroom is fantastic. Put on your favourite band and just go for it, endorphins everywhere. For physical comforts, when I have anxiety attacks I drink a glass of cold, cold water and sometimes press it against my cheek or forehead. Really snaps me out of a funk.
i swear i must be the only person in the world that never gets depressed or down. i roll with the punches at all times. if someone pisses me off, i typically just laugh instead of showing aggression. but in the rare occasion that it happens, god bless beer.
I have some of my best video game sessions when I'm pissed off or really sad about something -- it's a good distraction and I can channel my emotion into something else. I'm actually glad this thread was posted to remind myself of this. Aside from that, I think the easiest thing sometimes is just to go to bed. I always force myself to identify at least one positive thing that happened during the day which helps take the edge off a bit or at least put whatever's bothering me into perspective. That doesn't make it go away though; I might toss and turn for a few hours before falling asleep over-thinking everything, but I always feel better when I wake up in the morning. That doesn't mean the same thing can't come back quickly and trigger the same feelings again, but it at least provides a chance at a fresh start.
I usually write in this notebook i have full of different thoughts/pieces of poems and lyrics. I try to listen to weird/happy music, or even sad music that just lets me know im not alone and that sadness can be made into wonderful sounds Watching funny videos, sleep, text friends, day-dream about things that calm me down.
I pretty much just curse at my parents, cry, then go to sleep... I think I need a better coping mechanism.
Yeah dude, try painting! Even if it looks like shit, the act of putting a brush to paper is soo nice. (*hug*)
Depends. There are somethings you need to live thru to digest the experience to your bones, like a broken heart. At those times, music helps. I believe a bad relationship is one of the best teachers one can have. In general if things are beyond by ability to change, I just endure it. To distract me from over-thinking or giving myself ulcer, I play video games. Not the ones with story as I can't focus but the ones you can beat things up.
Depends on the severity of what I'm coping with. Usually, I can will it away, even if just temporary. If that doesn't work, then: - Meditation. - Working out. - Punching/kicking sand bags. - Drawing/Writing. - Music. - Laughing, or finding something amusing to read/watch/think/do. Ideally, giving or receiving a massage. I've only had two professional massages, and both of them were fantastic. Definitely good for dealing with something. But, beyond that, it would be nice to have somebody, to love on, and to be loved by. The majority of the time, one of those will do it. In the event, none of the above remedy the problem, then I face it. I may put it to the side, for a little bit, but it will be addressed almost immediately. I have to, or else it'll make me feel more miserable, and more weighed down. I've got enough anchors and shackles on me, I don't need anymore.
Usually just wallow in self pity and dump all my feelings onto friends who are still willing to listen to my shitty little problems. Occasionally i might resort to punching a wall, repeatedly or even carving. Most of the time, i just sit on the computer, watch stuff on the internet or put a random show/anime. All this, goes on until i finally start being apathetic or angry enough to simply not care. Oh yeah...and music, meditation (not traditional) and maybe some physical stress.
Eeeh I usually can't afford to "feel down" for more than a couple of hours or so but when it does happen I don't try to distract myself from it or cheer myself up; I let it hit me head on and take a deep dive into my darkest places knowing full well that the sooner I touch bottom the sooner I will rise back up (that's just how I work). During those dark hours I tend to write a lot, not as a way of escaping the sadness but rather channeling it. I also take very long walks. All while Cliff Martines and the likes score (as in orchestrate) my life. I kinda like feeling down and being sad every once in a while since it's a small break from my daily woes. I can just be in my own bubble and forget that everything outside my immediate sadness matters, which is very liberating (as long as it doesn't stretch further than a day, then it just turns into misery and I don't have time for that). Sidenote: For whatever reason whenever I'm sad I only feel comfortable writing on my phone.
I use different methods depending on how I feel. I watch TV-series to escape reality, when I just can't deal with it all. This, I do every day. Music helps with the more intense emotions that I can't escape. Then there's drawing. Writing can help at times too. Playing The Sims has also been a way for me to cope. It's a great outlet for creativity. I've found that doing anything creative helps with relieving my anxiety and stress. Sometimes I use certain exercises to, for example, let go of tension in my body. I'm diagnosed with depression so in addition to this I also go therapy. There have been times when I've used less ideal ways of dealing with it, which a close look at my wrist will show you.
Art, music, watching movies.. anything to keep my mind off of the situation, even for a little while.. but mainly, I just grin and bare it. There are times in life where you can't run away from certain things. Sometimes particular bad memories last forever and continue to haunt you. There's really nothing to do but to simply take it head on and move forward.
