For me, dysregulation is a feature at this point, and I’m constantly looking for and trying out new ways to recenter myself and regain control of my emotions. Over time, while working with my trauma-informed recovery coach and psychiatrist, I’ve arrived at the realization that making myself do things that take less than a minute are more beneficial to me than traditional grounding techniques.
When having an actual panic attack, box breathing can make it worse. My mind works way too fast for the 5-4-3-2-1 method in my environment, and applying ice to my skin or snapping a rubber band on my wrist reawakens old feelings and sensations that I associate with self-injury and physical abuse, which I stopped self harm in 1999, so obviously that’s not a good idea for me, either.
I am more productivity-based; rather, microproductivity-based. I’ve learned that if I need to quickly get out of my head and I am at home, I can get up and clean the toilet. I can’t explain how much better I feel when I am done. It’s the same with making the bed. Not only does it make the room look better, but I feel like I’ve completed a major accomplishment, though it’s literally laying sheets and covers/blankets out flat on a mattress in an orderly way.
I tried to find out if there was a name for this method of recentering/re-regulation (sic), and google continuously led me to the grounding techniques that send me over the edge every time. So I decided to make my own list, which I can add to later if I’d like.
I decided to share the list as well, in case anyone else might benefit from these ideas and activities. Without further adieu:
Hygiene Hacks
- Wash your face
- Put on clean socks (or underwear)
- If you’re not leaving your house, get comfy in your PJs
- Wash/exfoliate your hands
- It puts the lotion on its skin
Environment Hacks
- Clean the commode
- Clean off the mirror
- Dust a small rug (by that, I mean take it outside and beat the dust out of it)
- Clean off your desk
- Spray air freshener or light incense (the smell is good, but it’s the act of doing the spraying/lighting prep work that makes this more engaging and regulating)
Nutrition Hacks
- eat a quick snack
- make a warm drink
- drink something fizzy
- drink some cool water
- prep for dinner later
Creativity Hacks
- Create a quick world map on a notecard
- Create a quick character on a notecard
- Write a really quick story — in the case of RQS (really quick stories, my personal acronym), I go with this: normalcy, something happened, and then, and then, and then, the big event that fixed/didn’t fix, normalcy with side effects. John went to the store. He got there when someone was trying to rob it. He made a comment about the gun the robber was using being a flare gun and an unloaded one at that. The robber broke down crying and begged forgiveness and explained why he was doing the thing, and the cashier and John both gave the robber $20 each and the cashier paid for some snacks and a soda for the robber. Fin. Quick story – 76 words.
Entertainment Hacks
- Watch cat videos on Instagram.
- Play a short game (mobile games 100% count)
- Do a word puzzle
- Do a word puzzle on paper (there is a difference in dopamine hits between word puzzle using pc/mobile and paper word puzzle)
- Do something in a game that requires meeting a quota or certain #. Example: mine 100 iron ore in a game or build a quick house in another game…unless you can do the both in the same game.
These are just a small handful of things that work for me when I’m dysregulated/dysfunctional. None encourage anything harmful or passive. All promote activity that that helps your body, mind, environment, and creativity, thus boosting your spirits overall. I sincerely hope they help if you decide to give these a shot!
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