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Tag Archives: Physical Needs

No. 51: Building a Body that is Prepared to Cope

June 30, 2011 5:10 pm ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅
This week, to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellbeing… Coping Kete This week, to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellbeing… I will build my resilience to stress and distress by making sure that I am meeting my physical needs. I will regularly go through the following mental check-list of physical needs I may need to address in the moment. There are a range of physical states that can trigger or exacerbate negative emotions and stress responses. The Mental Check-List\r

    \r

  1. Am I thirsty right now? If yes, I will go and sip a glass of water.

    2. \r

  2. Am I hungry right now? If yes, I will go and eat something.

    3. \r

  3. Am I tired right now? If yes, I will get some rest or do something physical to energise myself.

    4. \r

  4. Are my muscles tense or aching right now? If yes, I will move around or do some stretches.

    5. \r

\r If I am unable to take steps to address an area of need, I will have compassion and understanding for the way that this need will be affecting my emotions, until I am able to take care of it. I will let the people around me know that I am being affected by it so they can understand why I might be a bit short-fused or on edge. Once my physical needs are addressed, I will be ready to deal with the challenges of the situation and engage in any other self-soothing or help-seeking as needed. When I am comfortable with running through the mental check-list and meeting my physical needs, I will add it to my Personal Coping Kete as a strategy for lifting my mood in times of stress and distress.

Posted in: Engagement, Self-Soothing ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

No. 30: The Half-Smile

January 26, 2011 8:07 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅
This week, to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellness, when I get stressed, pressed or distressed… Coping Kete I will practice the DBT half-smile. The half-smile involves curving just one side of the mouth up. It might feel silly to begin with, but smiling, even just a little bit in this way, can actually help to lighten negative moods. Smiling releases feel-good neurotransmitters, and who knows, maybe my half-smile will turn into a full smile a few times too! This week I will try to practice the half-smile at least three times a day. I will observe how my moods and thoughts responded. Did it make me laugh? Did it stop my thoughts for a second? Once I am used to the Half Smile I will add it to my Personal Coping Kete as something to try when I am feeling low.
Posted in: Self-Soothing ⋅ Tagged:

No. 26: Stop Point

December 23, 2010 3:29 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅
This week, in order to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellbeing… Coping Kete I will practice taking a break. This means that for one set period of time I will not do work. I will take a break from all self-criticism and worries about the past/present/future. I can pick them back up again in a week or so if I still want or need them. Whatever my situation happens to be right now, I will take time to do things that are good and fun for me, without pressure to perform to any level or achieve any outcome, other than to take a break. I will actively relax. I will socialise. I will spend some quality time to alone. I will plan a couple of things I’d really like to do or see or try. Wherever I am, I will holiday. Once I am used to taking regular breaks, I will add this to my Personal Coping Kete as a strategy for shifting negative moods when they are hard to deal with. Sometimes, we have been pushing ourselves for too long, and taking some time out helps to recharge the batteries.
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No. 18: Eating Mood Foods

October 27, 2010 6:58 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅
This week, to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellness … Coping KeteI will eat at least one Mood Food every day to give myself the essentials that my body needs to operate effectively and regulate my emotions. By setting my body up to respond well to stress, I will build my resilience to distress – I will have the energy and resources I need to cope. By paying mindful attention to eating foods that are good for me in this way, I will be engaging in the practice of valuing myself. I could also use this as a chance to explore new foods and recipes. Mood Foods contain magnesium, selenium, B-vitamins, folic acid, tyrosine, tryptophan and zinc, among other things. These vitamins and minerals are involved in low energy, concentration, insomnia, irritability, confusion, anxiety and low motivation. There is an excellently detailed list of foods to incorporate in the Nutrients Table at www.mentalhealth.org.uk. In the Engage Booster Group, we circled the foods we liked or might like on the Nutrients Table and then found ways of incorporating them into one meal a day. Everyone who tried it noticed a difference in the way they felt two weeks later, even though nothing in their environment had changed. The group decided to try to continue with this for another month and see what happened. Some Good Mood Foods: 

    • Brazil nuts – 3 brazil nuts a day meets all of your magnesium and selenium needs.
    • LSA: A combination of ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds that can be sprinkled over most foods to add magnesium, selenium, tryptophan, zinc and B3 content to whatever you are eating. Or just eat whole almonds and sunflower seeds.
    • Bananas – these are a power food, they contain so many essentials and all of the essentials we named above.
    • Blackberries, Pineapple, Kiwifruit
    • Peas, Spinach, Broccoli
    • Salmon, Tuna, Mussels – for omega-3 oils, folic acid, B vitamins and zinc.
    • Olive oil
    • Brown rice, Wholemeal pasta, Wholemeal bread – wholegrains contain Folic Acid, magnesium and important B vitamins. They also provide you with longer lasting energy and make you feel full longer than processed grains.
    • Plain yoghurt, Parmesan Cheese, Cheddar Cheese
    • Miso soup – zinc and tyrosine: you can also cook with miso, it’ s a soy-bean extract. Marmite is a good source of tyrosine too.

Once I’ve gotten comfortable eating and using these foods, I will add ‘Eat and Prepare a Mood Food’ to my Personal Coping Kete as a way of shifting my mood and engaging with resilience when I am feeling distressed.

Posted in: Engagement ⋅ Tagged: ,

No. 13 – Building a Room for Possibility

September 22, 2010 1:38 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅
This week, to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellness… Coping Kete I will practice focusing my thoughts on the inevitability of change to help shift bad moods. To start with, I will practice this strategy for minor mood changes. When I notice a slight shift in mood or a bit of stress, I will take a breath and say things to myself like, “everything changes and so will this,” or “this too shall pass.” I will leave space in my thoughts for the possibility of things being different. I will remind myself that nothing stays the same forever. In this way, I will make sure that my thoughts are not promoting a hopeless way of looking at my situation or experiences. I will then turn my attention to something else altogether in order to shift the moment. Sometimes it is a sense that we will feel this way or be dealing with the same problems forever that makes things so unbearable or overwhelming. Once I am comfortable thinking this way to get through the smaller moments, I will add it to my Personal Coping Kete as a self-soothing strategy for moments of heightened distress, when perspective might be lost. I will be able to remind myself of all the smaller instances in which I told myself it would pass, and it did.
Posted in: Self-Soothing ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,

No. 12 – Power Ballads

September 16, 2010 3:25 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅
This week in order attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellness… Coping Kete I will spend 5 minutes every day singing along to music. If I can’t find a CD or set of songs to play, I will sing old songs I know off by heart. If I have time on my hands and am feeling anxious or stressed, I will pass some of the time by singing. I can do this alone or with others. Singing has real physical effects which you can use to your advantage. Singing changes the way we are breathing and this alters the level of CO2 in our bloodstreams, which triggers the release of neurotransmitters and creates a sense of elation. Depending on the song you are singing, it can also be a powerful form of self-expression and sense of connection. Singing is a very good way of changing the moment for ourselves. Once I’ve gotten used to spending some time singing, I will add ‘Power Ballads’ to my Personal Coping Kete as a strategy to shift my mood when I am feeling distressed.
Posted in: Mindful Distraction, Self-Soothing ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,

No. 6 – Practicing Proper Belly Breathing

August 4, 2010 8:04 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

This week, to attain, maintain or regain my sense of wellness I will …

Spend 1 minute doing diaphragmatic breathing every morning.

Diaphragmatic breathing is a standard relaxation/breathing exercise where you:

  • Place one hand flat on your stomach and one on your chest.
  • Breathe in slowly through your nose (or pursed lips). With each in-breath, push your belly out and imagine pulling the air into the bottom of your belly.
  • As you breathe in watch your hands; the hand on your belly should rise more than the hand on your chest.
  • Pause briefly.
  • Breathe out slowly through pursed lips (as if silently whistling).
    • Your out-breath should be 2 times longer than your in-breath – though that is something to aim for over time.
  • Pause briefly.
  • Breathe in again and continue with the pattern of slow deep breaths in and slow, relaxed breaths out for 3-5 minutes. It might help you to do a count for each breath in and out (e.g. 2 seconds in and 4 seconds out).
  • You can do this without the hands if you wish, but it can help to ground things and focus on the out breath.

This exercise takes practice before it is useful. If I get hungry for air, I can try yawning or opening my mouth wide to relieve the sensation; it happens because the body is used to another breathing pattern and this is new.

Breathing is a way to control heart-rate and racing thoughts, reducing anxiety and panic and getting some space between feeling and responding.

Once I have become comfortable doing the breathing exercise every day, I will add ‘Standard Belly Breathing Relaxation’ to my Personal Coping Kete as a self-soothing or distraction strategy in times of stress or distress.

Posted in: Mindful Distraction, Self-Soothing ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , ,

No. 5 – Regular Self-Checks

July 28, 2010 2:54 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

This week, to attain, maintain or retain my sense of wellness …

I will practice being mindful of what I am feeling and what I need. Once every hour or two, I will check in by mentally asking myself ‘what do I feel right now?’ and then ‘what do I need to do for myself right now?’

I will give myself those things that I am capable of giving (or getting). Do I need food? Sleep? A breath or two? Reassurance? A kind thought? A glass of water? A chat? A distraction? Assistance? By creating small moments in my day, I will become practiced in the art of responding to my needs as well as privately connecting with and expressing my feelings.

Once I am comfortable with creating moments in my days, I will add ‘Do a Self-Check’ to my Personal Coping Kete as a strategy for moments of stress and distress.

Posted in: Engagement, Expression & Support ⋅ Tagged: , , , , ,