how do you self-soothe?

Well, ya know Im CURED! So....

Im the same way- and its true, even if I have my kids someplace I feel safer. Its an interesting thing. I like chatting a lot. But if there is a large crowd it feels overwhelming and in a way, unsafe. i dont know where to focus my attention. Lately, I have been at large gatherings and have had to remind myself that it is okay to focus where I am comfortable and stay focused there until I want to focus elsewhere. I have a couple of graduations and events to go to for my kids this week and next and this can be SO triggery for me. Crowds of people that I know.

OUCH! Im sorry you were vomiting from that stuff. I was on doxy, too. It is a HEAVY drug. I switched to macrobid. levaquin and cipro were great for the UTIs, I was so upset I couldnt take it anymore and had to find a less than ideal substitute.
Its good you have an appt wed.
How are you feeling now?

((((blue)))) you're so sweet for asking. I'm ok. Still having lots of pain but it's manageable. I'm having an MRI tomorrow. I just feel really, really crummy. Exhausted, all the time. Trying to just rest.

I just talk with friends from the internet or try to play some videogame. Maybe listen to music.

Self-soothing...

I sometimes sit in the dark with my headphones on and listen to my favorite singer. There is something about the sound of his voice that resonates powerfully with the deepest aspects of myself. I let everything go and "fall" into the pure, tender and beautiful sound which seems to melt every part of me. Very pleasurable and relaxing.

I wait for the entire house to go to sleep and watch nature videos for hours at a time. No music in the background...just the scenery and the sounds of nature. Extremely soothing.

Getting outside with nature. There is a pond across the street from my house and I enjoy watching the geese swim and dive in the water, preen themselves...very relaxing...

I get in touch with my nurturing side and offer support to someone who is hurting. I think in my attempt to soothe another, I often end up soothing myself in the process. It's like bathing in my own kindness, love and acceptance and hoping another receives it with the same truth that it is offered.

Writing sentiment and accessing the deeper aspects of myself.

This exercise has been self-soothing. Thanks, Zoo.

(((( zoo )))) Sorry, I am way behind in reading posts and being able to respond. But yes, it is vital to learn how to self-sooth. For me, it is oddly about allowing myself the freedom to feel. Even if it is a bad feeling and it hurts, if I allow myself the right to feel pain and cry if I want to cry, I am able to more quickly process through the triggering events. For me, the honesty of feeling is so big because I was not allowed to feel when I was a child. I was told to pull myself together and smile for the church people. No one was allowed to know how badly I was hurting on the inside. Even if I was physically hurt, my parents would punish us if we cried about it.

So now I honor my emotions (all of them) and I try to not stuff it all inside. It is strange because by doing this, the feelings are alot more powerful, but they also pass a whole lot faster!!! Then I feel so much better than if I had denied the reality of the experience.

gardening, especially pulling weeds
reading
hot, hot shower
glass of wine
call my kids
watch tv
computer
sometimes just sit in the silence...

i want to walk down to the park near my house but i have been too afraid to do that yet.... hopefully soon, then i could add that to my list....

good luck on your list!!!

If I'm alone with too many people I don't know, then I turn to and try to start conversations with some of them! That helps me with loneliness too, I can go out and make friends with a sales clerk or librarian or someone in my "path" as I do my daily chores.

I have the biggest trouble with being anxious when I wake in the night. It's so dark and quiet and I mostly want to be asleep but if I get worrying about something, I sometimes run out of options. I do try to immediately look at whatever my mind is stuck on and think of something I can do to work on that issue the next day and/or remind myself of what I'm currently doing to help ease the anxiety caused by that issue.

During the day, any grounding technique will help me; just getting up from my thoughts and doing something, some chore or changing what I'm focused on, not really avoiding what fear caused my anxiety but putting it more in perspective by showing myself the much larger picture.

I find the term "self soothing" to be vaguely obscene. And I think of being as flexible as a cat, and bending around to stroke myself on the back. Not very soothing.

oh, I don't know, have you ever watched a cat groom itself? Seems pretty soothing to me.

I am not a cat, and cannot stroke my back very easily!

That's what backscratchers are for My husband has one in every room and, in the middle of the night when my back itches, I'm grateful for his foresight. I find it extremely soothing to be able to scratch my back; kind of like a hot shower when it's cold or your muscles ache.

My T gave me two full handouts on selfsoothing. My favorites are taking a bubble bath, looking at flowers, listening to instrumental music, and eating something sweet. If anyone is interested in the whole list I'd be happy to share.