So about a week or so ago, I bought some of these bacon breakfast bowls — there’s eggs, bacon crumbles, diced potatoes, and cheese in them — about 26 grams of protein, too. I add a little dab of mayo to it to give it a bit more creaminess (and so my para-duodenal hernia doesn’t try to sieze up when I eat). I just realized today that they have the same stuff at the breakfast bar where we have a couple of our classes. So I’m going to try to make my own bowls and see how they turn out.
I also stayed up until about 3am last night in a bit of a mania (OR because I napped so hard over the weekend, not sure which), but didn’t realize it until all I had left to finish cleaning my house was washing the dishes. So the energy had very positive benefits. What’s making me nervous is that I still have a lot of energy. So there will either be a crash out or I will self-regulate internally and end up going to bed at midnight like I’m supposed to. Either way, I already have my stuff ready if a crash happens. I also know that doing something to expend said energy will help it not be a crash. Practice makes permanent, and I’m seeing the potential for a crash from a mile away. So practice what I learn in case it happens. (guttural sinister voice) you’ve all been warned. (lighter valley girl voice) but so have I, so…y’know…did I write crash enough times?
Anyway, so today we’re talking about stealthy DBT tactics — how to stay in Stage 3 and beyond without making a big deal out of it. Or practical ways to stay in the moment, fully aware, without needing to disappear and cause a potential demotion (if you will) to stage 2.
Benign Disruption One lady in class said that when she feels like she’s having that lingering desire to disappear or run away, she goes and cleans her toilet. If she’s at a store or restaurant, she pulls out a wet wipe and cleans a small area on the shelf or table. Both the wipes and the bowl cleaner have the same scent (hibiscus like my bathroom!), so she kind of gets a sensory recollection (scent) from it aside from seeing something get ultra shiny in a square inch of space.
Pointless Specificity A guy in my class said that if he has time, he goes on “color walks.” Where he picks a color from his map color collection — 12 of the basic colors: ROYGBIV, brown, black, white, gold, silver/chrome — and goes and takes no less than 20 images with his camera. Then he will post his favorites online. Now this also gives him something to do *later* so he gets to anticipate the walk. Anticipation keeps him ahead of the present moment but also keeps him in the present moment due to having to be patient about the thing.
I do this too! But I didn’t realize I was actually using it to stay present…I’ll be thinking about that next time I go for a color walk.
Deliberate Humor another classmate likes to find three words in the wild and make playlists on Spotify that feature songs with those words in the title. Or songs that tell a story through the titles. Or songs that are all questions or all about random things (like tables or llamas). She also likes to find cleverly created playlists along the same lines of thought. A good example is that “Clueless Marvin Gaye” playlist.
This is something I’ve not really done (I usually go for song vibes/cohesion of genre/crossfade viability), but I’ll definitely give it a shot!
Pocket 54321 Kit Another person in class took an old sewing kit box and put a flannel swatch, a tiny vial of sandalwood oil, a tiny arrowhead rock, a container of TicTacs, and a Finger Shot (a small musical shaker you can hold in your hand). When she needs a distraction, she’s got herself covered.
It’s basically my GOOM-B bag minus the size and story-driven overwhelm.
And all of us have quick puzzle games on our phones for the same reason. Doing something that requires total concentration for 30 to 90 seconds is also a good way to stay in the moment while also giving ourselves a break from reality. We all joked about wishing we could put naps in our pockets, which cracked me up, considering how I felt all weekend.
Our instructor for the day also brought up things like naming items in a room, but giving it parameters like “20 things of this color” or “20 things that might have a smell” or “20 things that have nothing to do with each other” and signaling that you might also lose count and interest during the process, which is the point of doing the exercise. You’re doing something that’s so mundane that even you in your keyed-up anxiety/wanting to disappear feelings lose interest. There’s no gain from the exercise other than your mind gave up putting forth effort, and now you’ve stopped counting and stopped being anxious and wanting to disappear at the same time.
Anyway, that was the class part of the day. Nice stuff!
