Lived Experience Forum

[Margot]

[Adge]

1) Breathing (slow & more deeply) & noticing body sensation (touch & smell etc) to be more grounded.

2) "It's okay to feel this", "this will pass".

3) Label feelings, if possible.

4) Focus on the present, to bring my attention back to the here & now.

Adge

[utopia]

Key things to from tonight:

By accepting the feeling / emotion at the time - will end up being less painful, than ignoring it and having it reoccur over and over again.

I need to get back to Nature. Back to my mountain. Start doing regular breathing meditations. Things that I used to enjoy.

And when feeling that my body is very tense - maybe I need to do something physical.

[Margot]

Sounds like the key there is learning to swim in the puddle if you do jump in @utopia 

[CheerBear]

I think something I have taken from tonight's discussion is a reminder that are so many things we can try and do to tolerate distress. It's interesting and helpful to read everyone's experiences, strategies and ideas!

Another thing I have taken from tonight is that as much as it feels like "I can't do this" sometimes, when I stop and think about it I can see that I can and do "do this". Just reflecting on what has worked before is helpful.

Thanks heaps for tonight @Margot and all. It was great ☺

[Sans911]

There are some really wonderful ideas, discussions and thoughts here tonight.I think distress tolerance is an ongoing learning process, and sometimes it takes time, experience and trying different things to see what works. Distress tolerance really is a lifelong skill, for even when we are more stable, there will always be times we will be exposed to distressing situations. And I find this forum is fantastic for discussing and sharing different types of distress tolerance.

[Adge]

Thanks @Margot & everyone.

Adge

[utopia]

I've swum before @Margot. I've moved through this stage before. And I succeeded in coming out in a better state. I need to remember that I can do it.

[Sans911]

Fantastic discussion topic tonight @Margot. I have been looking to this for a while, and I know I will go over this thread for some time to come

[Margot]

It’s been great to hear all about your experiences of managing difficult emotions. It's a privilege for me to be part of this discussion and I do hope there's a few things you might take away from it. 

If you’d like to continue the conversation, you might like to create a new discussion topic to explore things a little further. If you’re interested in learning more about distress tolerance, you might like to chat with a face to face counsellor for more information.

I’ll leave you with a few links to some more info on distress tolerance, including a link to an online self-help manual that you can check out if you’d like to apply some of what we’ve talked about to your own life.  Here goes…

Distress tolerance self help

Techniques to help you manage emotions from TED

Grounding Strategy: 3 minute breathing space

Worry and productive problem solving

Exploring difficultly mindfulness practice

As a reminder, if this discussion has triggered anything for you, please reach out to a crisis line for support: Lifeline 13 11 14.

Thanks again everyone. Goodnight  😴