Coping skills
Okay, so, story time, so to speak. I still live at home with my mother (my father passed away quite some time ago) and my little brothers and sisters. All of said younger brothers/sisters have some sort of psychological condition that hinders their social development skills. I have decided that they have a single goal in life: to make my life a living hell. And, while I know that younger siblings are prone to do so, I have a feeling that this is more than just that. I am currently to the point of physically harming them, though I am able to restrain myself from doing so without any real trouble. The only problem is that, instead of doing that, I end up yelling at them, fighting with my mother, and going to my room, storing all that energy, which I know is not beneficial in any way, as it builds stress over time. Which it definitely has. One of my younger brothers is bipolar, and, inevitably, get in fits every now and again, which is nothing that can be prevented, such is the nature of bipolarism. While this has not recently happened, another one of my younger brothers has a need to constantly make noises, be that random shrieks, yelling at nothing, what have you. One would think that that isn't anything to be worried over, yet somehow I am. The only solace I have is when they are all at school, and the house is to myself, but once they get home, the stress and tension immediately returns. I have tried everything I know how to do to release the built-up energy, however nothing seems to work long term. My mother refuses to get a punching bag of some sort, which I think would be best, but, what do I know. Reasoning being disruptive noise. I am a martial artist and I can think of no better way to alleviate myself. At training twice a week, which they participate in as well, I find myself rather enjoying my time with the equipment, although it is only for 4 hours each week. So, my question to you who read this is as follows: what the bloody hell can I do to retain my sanity?
Money is somewhat of an issue, but not so much that I have to disregard suggestions involving it. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.
Long, long, fast walks. You'd be surprised how much stress you can burn off walking, at least at the speed I usually do. Extra stress reduction if you can find some woods or fields to walk in. That isn't just a personal preference; I've seen studies that said people's mental health improved and their stress levels declined if they spent outdoors in a natural environment.
Edited to add: I've been known to walk six to ten miles in a day, although if you're not used to walking much, you might have to work up to that. Gets you out of the house for a while, too.
_________________
AQ Test = 44 Aspie Quiz = 169 Aspie 33 NT EQ / SQ-R = Extreme Systematising
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Not all those who wander are lost.
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In the country of the blind, the one eyed man - would be diagnosed with a psychological disorder
I have a self-soothing list.
having it wrote out in advance helps when it is actually needed.
I love to run....it's like running away from my problems.
A bathroom is a socially sanctioned place to escape although hding in a bathroom stall isn't the most fun place to decompress.
I also keep a hoodie, my iphone, and earphones with me because if I'm having a particularly bad day I go to the breakroom and put a hoodie over my head, listen to postive hip-hop on pandora and all the other NT's think I'm just relaxing when indeed I have shut down for that moment.
One thing I've learned to deal with "unhealthy people and unhealthy enviornments" is to put my energy where I have to most power. Not adding any fuel to the fire when they are enraged or are not interested in a productive conversation or by removing myself from the person, not giving them information they can use against me later. Usally they run out of energy and leave me alone if I'm too much of a hassle to get a response from.
Everyone copes differently I hope I added some things to put on your coping list. I know having a written "escape plan", self-soothing list works wonders for me!
I've been thinking this one over, and I've come up with a few other suggestions. Everyone is different, so I can't say these will all work for you - and, at least in my case, different things will help me deal with different forms of stress. But maybe they'll get you thinking. I do understand most of the details I'm giving you won't work directly, but I'm hoping they may give you a feel for what I'm talking about.
I already mentioned walking - but I should add that it sometimes helps to walk somewhere very familiar, and sometimes helps to explore somewhere new. The environment can really matter, and the journey. The more stressed I am, the more I want a quiet environment, and the faster I walk - as if leaving all my problems behind. My mind races for a while, but even that is part of the process, getting all those thoughts out.
Then, there is music. I won't bother telling you the things I like to listen to, because musical taste is so intensely personal. But I will observe that there are many songs I like that are not useful in reducing stress. Sometimes, I need music that I find calming and soothing, and sometimes I need pounding music with a beat that washes over me and drowns out anything else. (In the latter case, I do not recommend [b] earphones or earbuds, unless you want to blow your hearing. At least, I would. Of course, having the music that loud over speakers can irritate everyone else, so you might not have that option.)
Wind. This may sound weird, but I find wind very soothing. If only I could call it up on demand. But getting outside on a nice windy day always calms me down. (As long as the wind isn't threatening to knock me off my feet, or flinging things into me, I'm happy. I'm not talking breezes here...)
The other positive sensory input that often helps me is food. The right food. Even foods I like will not all work for this, but, for example, I have a specific positive association with steak and cheese subs. So eating a steak and cheese sub will help me settle down. Too much of this, and you start to gain weight, although as long as I walk a lot, it isn't a huge issue. But as an occasional trick to take the edge off a bad day, it's nice to know. I'm sure you won't have the same reaction to the same food (I happen to associate steak and cheese subs with some very pleasant times and a friend who is now dead - in spite of that, I like to remember him, so it works for me) but you might find something that works. Or, in my case, crunchy food can release frustration; all that crunching and munching is therapeutic. Just crushing things between my teeth. Potato chips, tortilla chips, banana chips, pretzels, or the right nuts; chocolate covered almonds or almond M&Ms are great, or Jordan almonds.
And writing. No matter how good you are at it, sometimes writing down your feelings is a real help. Try poetry - not the lyrical kind, the jagged, raw, emotional kind. Just words that express how you feel, as powerful as you can make them. If you don't already do this, it would probably take a while to have much effect, but as you learn to do it, it's like you're confiding in the paper and it's listening to you without complaining or arguing. I assume if I were musical, playing or composing music would help me to get my feelings out, too, or art if I could paint or draw well enough to even know what I was drawing myself.
_________________
AQ Test = 44 Aspie Quiz = 169 Aspie 33 NT EQ / SQ-R = Extreme Systematising
===================
Not all those who wander are lost.
===================
In the country of the blind, the one eyed man - would be diagnosed with a psychological disorder
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