My "plugger" idea on upsets

[white knight]

Practical ways of breaking a down period is rare. There are long term methods and others consoling you but often we are alone...even with a partner we can feel alone to no fault of theirs.

Trigger definition (psychology) is: "A trigger in psychology is a stimulus such as a smell, sound, or sight that triggers feelings of trauma"

So I was thinking, to reverse this and use smell, sight and sound stimulous to reverse a trigger situation..the "plugger" effect.

Firstly, as I'm a man that cried more tears than the Pacific has gallons, I know the helpless feeling of crying, being distraught and feeling that my world will end...to the point so low that I wanted it to end and planned it. I will do anything to never return to that state.

Bipolar, depression and dysthymia take their toll. We have to rely on professionals and proven relaxation techniques that have some effect but really lets face it, we have to find ways to help ourselves to.

So, I waited for a bad day. They come around fewer nowadays but yesterday along it came. The welling in my eyes was my telltale. The Manchester concert tragedy event was to blame. So I had to force myself to walk to my shed where I put my music on. Next I took a can of paint to begin painting a small table for our caravan. As the painting finished I had an idea of making our new table hinge up to the wall, so looked for a piano hinge and screws.

My wife arrived 2 hours later to see how I was travelling. She praised my work and asked if I wanted coffee. Until she mentioned it I'd forgotten about my upset earlier.

Smell...the paint

Sight....a change of environment means not focussing on where I was in the house (watching sad events on TV)

Sound....the music

There's the three triggers turned into "pluggers". Add to those the stimulous of a project and the satisfaction of making something.

My wife commented on how quickly I recovered. What I find interesting is that these sort of remedies are logical yet we dont automatically do them. Its like our emotions are a magnet to trauma and hurt, like part of my mind is programmed to find hurt every now and then. Happiness constantly isnt possible, the cycle is mandatory.

Can you think of methods you use as pluggers? Help us help ourselves.

Tony WK

[Croix]

Dear Tony~

I may be going off on a tangent from your intention - my apologies if so - however two phases caught my eye and decided me to post.

There are long term methods
our emotions are a magnet to trauma and hurt

I've had something that is ongoing for the last few weeks and has the effect of of resurrecting the more undesirable mental states on an ongoing basis. Unfortunately it will go for a while longer until the root cause stops. Your first phrase reminded my I don't have medium term strategies that can cover a period of weeks. The longest (lifetime) ones are there, and so are the short term ones (a day or so), but the medium -no.

The best I can manage is to try to string together short time methods. This brings in your second phrase, in that the mind - at least mine - is not good at proactively dealing with matters and can just sit there and sink, half the time not really being aware what is happening. The dark is a magnet to the mind (to paraphrase you).

I do manage somewhat. And one method good for a fair number of hours, with a positive after-mood is to deal with my latest books that need cataloguing ( I collect old library books of all sorts from all over).

They've been building up in a heap for several months and require entering in a database, labeling with accession numbers and putting in place on shelves. A mindless boring task I put off.

Now it's just the right thing, putting on BBC radio comedy series from the '60's (Round the Horne) I type, print and stick. The comedy distracts the mind, the hands are busy and the whole experience takes me right away from unpleasant memories or horrible feelings.

When the pile has gone fragments of the comedy remain in the mind.

It was not laziness, but the knowledge of this use that let that pile build unattended.

Not a lot of use to others I'm afraid, though distracting sound and occupation of the hands, plus accomplishment may be a common element for some

Croix

[white knight]

Hi Croix

No problems with tangents mate.

Cycles are odd things. I had a depressive cycle for 45 years but I didnt recognise it. Every 8-9 weeks I'd go about 10 days in deep melancholy depression. I'd write sad poetry and withdraw big time, rocking a little in a living hell.

Then diagnosis came and the meds. Now a down day comes unpredictably but far shorter periods like 1-3 days duration. But that is better than 10 days and its less intense. Google

Topic: planning a healthier mind- beyondblue

In my case the period of a couple of months was too long for me to recall the last down period. Hence why no help was sort when younger.

It was only when a Dr suggested using a diary to rate my moods and make a graph. The lower line is dates, the vertical line is mood 1-10, 10 being elated, 1 being distraught.

This taught me how eratic my mood was. It also highlighted when triggers were due and I'd prepare for them. That is the only way I could plan strategies for medium term well being.

Some medium term plans/ideas are in thread

Topic: be radical- beyondblue (if in doubt be radical is the full thread title)

I'm lucky my wife is very observant and informs me if my day is deteriorating. Again, change my environment...but now I'll also put on music etc.

I tend to leave inside boring jobs like organising my laptop pictures or writing another verse to my book I'm writing about mental illness for rainy days. Mixing activities really helps

Topic: facing the emotional brink- beyondblue

Days are like this- shopping one day, cooking the next, gardening, writing, car tinkering/polishing, picnic, shopping etc

Every 8-10 weeks go caravanning for 5-7 days, every winter go north to Queensland for 4-6 weeks.

So each day is different from the last, each week different from the last etc. This variety means looking forward to the next day, the next week, the next month and so on.

As a boy I needed constant stimulus, boredom was my enemy. And zero patience. But some if these trait are better off just accepting thst battling them. Or you'll run yourself into the ground when you dont have the capacity to rectify it.

Topic: supermarket shelves- beyondblue

Hope some of that helps.

Tony WK

[white knight]

The "plugger" technique doesnt work when we have upsets involving people.

People need resolution, compromise or detachment. Sound sight and smell, the three ingredients for triggers might be involved when watching and listening to tragedies on TV (2 anyway) but people are a totally different ballgame.

Tony WK