In case of emergency…
There’ll always be times when keeping up with your mindapples (the mental health 5-a-Day) just aren’t enough – and you find yourself overwhelmed with anxiety or the sads. For example, I know that the heavy grey skies of Berlin can really affect my mood, regardless of any steps I’ve taken to avoid depression. So I’m always looking for ways of walking and talking myself out of a sad or anxious mood.
Autumn Cheer, originally uploaded by Fighting Tiger.
A couple of years ago I posted a step by step approach to dealing with bouts of anxiety or depression. It was some home brewed cognitive behavioural therapy that got me through some heartbreak. The bad times passed and then I deleted the post.
And even though I still followed some of my own advice, I’d forgotten how specific and useful a paper (or electronic) set of the reminders could be in times of the crazy sads.
A few months back an old housemate asked me where the post was and I couldn’t find it in either my archives or anywhere online. But yesterday I hit archive.org paydirt and found the text again. I twittered it and was told by a follower that she’d forwarded the link to a friend who’s going through some tough times – and that her friend had printed up two copies to keep by her side.
Which of course made me feel all happy, that maybe this list of actions might help more people than just me.
So… here is the In Case of Emergency list again. Please feel free to leave comments or further advice.
In Case Of Emergency
Work through this process in your head, on paper, or out loud. Customise to suit your needs.
What’s wrong?
What’s the very worst thing that could happen?
If the very, very worst thing happened, how would you cope? Because you can handle anything.
What is actually wrong right now? Is there anything you can do to make it better?
Something – however small – something good happened today. What was it?
Go off and do something nice for yourself as soon as possible. Take a walk, buy something small and pretty, drink some tea. You’re worth it. Ask for a hug, even a virtual one from the universe.
If there is something you’ve been putting off, start doing if for just 10 minutes. That’s all you need to do.
There is so much power and potential stored up in you.
Everything is going to be fine.
hey pippa.
i was speaking to marla the other day about how it seems to me that you and I have some kind of weird convergences of thought – it is more often than not that i check in on your blog to find some feeling or thought process i’m having mirrored on Fighting Tiger. Marla said I should tell you and I wasn’t going to except that it was only this morning that i was blogging about remembering to use my In Case of Emergency and that’s really the last straw. Strange and something like… settling to see little reflections of myself so far away.
hope you are getting some vitamin D in berlin (and I say, definitely go the yurt option)
xx
Yes this is a good checklist. I was very stressed at work the other day and a workmate posted a similar list by my computer and didn’t tell me, and I thought it was so lovely of her to do that. Maybe a kindred spirit huh? Love to you both.
[...] please read and follow these instructions In Case Of Emergency: Work through this process in your head, on paper, or out loud. Customise to suit your [...]
hey pippa.
i was speaking to marla the other day about how it seems to me that you and I have some kind of weird convergences of thought – it is more often than not that i check in on your blog to find some feeling or thought process i’m having mirrored on Fighting Tiger. Marla said I should tell you and I wasn’t going to except that it was only this morning that i was blogging about remembering to use my In Case of Emergency and that’s really the last straw. Strange and something like… settling to see little reflections of myself so far away.
hope you are getting some vitamin D in berlin (and I say, definitely go the yurt option)
xx