Draft: My Toolkit
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed therapist or counselor // I’ve decided I’m going to start posting drafts and If I come back to them , I do but currently have no set timeline on it // Please also note that these are all specific to me and my needs and I have categorized them as best as I can in the ways that I understand each section // studying and collecting this type of information is a special interest of mine — as it all helps me make sense of myself and others — and I feel that, if it can help Me make it through another day, then it might help someone else // Please remember, Everyone’s journey is unique to each person and what works for me might not be accessible to you dear reader, so — Take what resonates, leave the rest, and above all, be kind to yourself // Keep going, We got this
My coping skills
The practices I use to calm my nervous system and widen my window of tolerance aka how I get through my days and hope to create sustainability for myself moving forward as I attempt to add more tasks to my plate
approaching life and it’s activities, my engagement with things, as tools for moving through rather than always distracting from (though sometimes distraction is very necessary — I am still learning)
some overlap, etc importance of balance and comfort? not a definitive list, not all as for everyone, reminder that i dont know all the things
why I (and others) need these: lack of coregulation from caretakers in our childhoods
Self Soothing:
EFT tapping (link/info), havening touch (link), butterfly hug, muscle massage, foot massage, breathwork. grounding, burning incense etc, making myself food, eating, lighting candles (with or without intention setting), napping, looking at trees and nature, playing sounds (bird song, waves, bugs, binaural beats, hertz grequencies, comfort music), stimming, putting on make up, sitting by the open kitchen window, epsom salt baths, comfort clothing, weed or other herbs like passion flower, watching tiktok (or specific visual asmr ones), watching a movie or show that mirrors whatever emotion im needing to lean into, learning more about trauma and the body and resilience and trying out new tools, sighing, crying
Mindfulness:
EFT tapping, havening touch, grounding, foot massage, yielding to the floor, yoga, dance, drawing, coloring, painting, brain dumping, tarot, walking outside, spending 2 seconds more looking at something absorbing more of it and the moment, meditating (spotify, youtube, chani app, etc), weed, intuitive movement, more vagal toning exercises (link), breathwork, cold exposure (link), tension release (link), gratitude listing, cleaning a space with intention
Distraction:
tiktok, playing/streaming video games (want to do more of), reading (want to do more of), mental deep dives (ooo i get stuck there a lot, sometimes it’s great and very helpful and sometimes not so much but either way it’s distracting), weed, focusing on others (stemming from trauma, we’re working on the balance of that), socializing (sometimes doesn’t work, sometimes turns into avoidance)
Emotional Awareness:
EFT tapping, Journaling and brain dumping (loose paper, google docs, notes app, voice memos, videos, tiktok drafts), astrology and tarot, reading trauma recovery, behavior, communication etc books, learning more about trauma and the body and resilience and trying out new tools
Opposite Action:
EFT tapping, affirmations (if-fermations), laughter yoga, “scary” hour, putting on makeup and getting ready
Crisis Plan:
going outside, calling my brother, texting or calling a friend, Quilt App (link)