A Lighthouse for Personal Growth

Positive Coping

Challenge Your Thoughts

Credit

  1. Identify the Distortion
  2. Examine the Evidence
  3. Double-Standard Method
  4. Experimental Technique
  5. Shades of Gray
  6. Survey Method
  7. Define Terms
  8. Semantic Method
  9. Re-attribution
  10. Cost-Benefit Analysis

Somatic Therapy

You can use the body to actively destress.

  1. Orienting & Grounding: Shifting focus away from an emotional trigger by noticing your immediate physical environment. You can scan the room for specific colors or focus your attention on the literal sensation of your feet planted on the floor to signal safety to your nervous system.
  2. Tracking Sensations & Pendulation: Gently noticing where an emotion resides physically in the body (e.g., a tight chest or a knot in the stomach). Pendulation is the process of gently shifting your attention between the physical discomfort of the emotion and a neutral or pleasant sensation until the emotional intensity becomes manageable.
  3. Breathwork: Slow, deep, or elongated exhales (such as box breathing or sighing) signal your brain to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, naturally reducing the physiological intensity of the emotion.
  4. Vagal Toning (Voo Sound): Making a deep, low “vooooo” sound in your chest vibrates the vagus nerve, which helps to calm the nervous system and release trapped survival energy.
  5. Physical Release (Tremoring or Shaking): Releasing built-up stress, anger, or anxiety by gently shaking your hands, arms, or legs to help your nervous system discharge the tension.

Harm Redirect

If you have urges to harm, you can try these steps to stop the cycle.

The key steps:

  • Hide the tools you normally use.
  • Recognize the urge building before it gets too intense.
  • Distract yourself by changing scenery.
  • Relax your mind by focusing on the body or environment.
  1. Somatic interrupt
    • hold a piece of ice until it melts
    • splash cold water on your face
    • put an ice pack on your forehead
  2. Distract
    • talk a walk
    • go outside into nature
    • play with a pet
    • change scenery
  3. Hobby
    • draw something
    • sing a song
    • take up knitting
  4. Hide your tools
    • give your harm tools to someone else
    • throw them out
    • freeze them in a bag of water (if you want to use them, you’ll have to wait until they melt)
    • bury them in the yard (delay their use)
  5. Reach out
    • talk to a friend about the urge
    • call a hotline
    • talk to a family member Credit