casey

For Beginners

You are not your feelings. Feelings are something you have, and something you can learn to cope with. Here are some tips how you can reduce negative, annoying or persistent feelings in your life, and how you can cope with them when they occur.

Making positive experiences

Do something enjoyable that’s possible every day (ex. read a few pages, doodle something, listen to your favorite song, sing in the shower…)

Change your life up a bit in a way that will help you experience positive feelings more often (ex. say hi to an old friend, join a club, try a new hobby, discover a new artist…)

Allow yourself to feel the positive things (ex. reminisce about the nice experiences you had before bed, focus on how good you feel in the moment, ask yourself how you’d name this positive feeling, what caused it…)

Reducing emotional and physical vulnerability

A house can’t stand without the base - Work on getting enough water, food, sleep, exercise and self care. Baby steps are completely fine. 5 hours of sleep are better than 4, two meals are better than one, etc.

Watch your health and take your medication

Avoid mood changing substances (drugs, alcohol…)

Take responsibility (ex. make small plans that you can and will do every day -> gives you a sense of control over your life and helps you believe in your own abilities)

Letting go of emotional baggage

Accept your feelings as a part of yourself as a person. We all have them!

Acknowledge that your feelings (all of them!) are allowed to be here, because they all have a job to fulfill!

Try not to judge your feelings, even if it’s hard! There’s a reason why they’re here.

Be open for your feelings. Embrace them. They will come anyway.

I have a feeling I don’t want - what now?

What am I feeling? (ex. angry, sad, guilty…)

What impulse does this feeling give me, what do I want to do? (ex. lash out, isolate myself, self harm…)

What made me feel this way? (ex. a fight, a bad grade, a mistake…)

What would be pros and cons of acting on my impulse? (ex. pro - lashing out would give me relief, con - it would have consequences…)

What decision do I make?