How do you cope with flashbacks?

What are healthy ways to cope?

I have a cupboard that contains safe items, items that help me remember good things, items that smell nice, or feel nice, I like to when I can take one of those items and just hold it in my hand.

I also use my senses- what can I smell?. what can I hear. what can I see around me

I like to keep my mind occupied too..

even if it's something as simple as being here and posting, it helps to have something to focus on
I find that (at least 90 percent of the time) if I'm not doing anything with my mind, then something will happen

in quieter moments, I've started telling myself stories- really stupid stories too, like a cat who thinks he's a shark, or a dog who goes tweet tweet at everything he meets.

This has been recommended to me and a lot of people I've known with PTSD use it.

The Five Senses Exercise
One example of a mindfulness exercise is called the Five Senses Exercise. The goal is to calm your mind by using your five senses to focus on your environment instead of your thoughts.

Here are the steps to complete this exercise:

First, notice 5 things that you can see. Look around you and become aware of your environment. Try to pick out something that you don’t usually notice.
Second, notice 4 things you can feel. Bring attention to the things that you’re currently feeling, such as the texture of your clothing or the smooth surface of the table you’re resting your hands on.
Third, notice 3 things that you can hear. Listen for and notice things in the background that you don’t normally notice. It could be the birds chirping outside or an appliance humming in the next room.
Fourth, notice 2 things you can smell. Bring attention to scents that you usually filter out, either pleasant or unpleasant. Catch a whiff of the pine trees outside or food cooking in the kitchen.
Finally, notice 1 thing you can taste. Take a sip of a drink, chew gum, or notice the current taste in your mouth.

Mindful Monday: Try the "Five Senses" Mindfulness Exercise

I try to do ground meditation to take my mind off of everything.

Stop technique - Stop ... Try breathing ... Observe things around you ... Put it in to perspective

Actually right now I pretty much suck at dealing with flashbacks who am I kidding.