cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/24388390
Hi everyone,
Iâm reaching out to ask for advice and insights on how you manage emotional dysregulation. Lately, Iâve been finding it challenging to handle intense emotions, especially when they seem to come out of nowhere or are triggered by small things.
I know this is something that many people in the AuDHD community experience, so Iâd love to hear about any strategies, tools, or practices that have worked for you. Whether itâs specific techniques, coping mechanisms, or lifestyle changes, Iâm open to anything that might help.
Thank you in advance for your support and for sharing your experiences. I really appreciate hearing from others who understand what this is like.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Generally, I stay alone. I do things like pace, clean, talk to myself, journal, or listen to music at 100% volume. For journaling, I write things down as if I wanted to collect my thoughts to explain them to someone else. I think it works because weâre bottom-up processors, so journaling forces us to see the whole thing as one. Another similar skills is to make a flowchart of why you think you feel that way, such as event -> physical sensations -> thoughts -> emotions. Exercise also helps a lot. Lately, Iâve been trying artistic and mindful avenues, such as dancing, art (ie drawing and painting), playing music, writing poetry/lyrics, and working on a puzzle. They all seem to help pretty well. The energetic tools help at getting all that pent up energy out so my skin doesnât feel like itâs burning or that Iâm going to explode. The music, talking, and journaling help me process what is driving the emotional dysregulation. The art, music, and puzzle help me reset/ground myself, and at the end, I have something I created to show for it, so Im happy with myself. Im gonna put those in a list at the bottom for ease đđ
The hardest part is starting one of those or moving on to another if the first one doesnât work. Once I get engaged in one that feels good though, Iâm stuck and things improve.
Things I do list
Energetic
- Dancing
- Pacing
- Exercise
- Cleaning
- Music really loud
- Can mix these like music and cleaning or talking and pacing
/
Art
- Drawing
- Painting
- Playing music
- Poetry/lyrics
/
Mindful
- Puzzle
- Journaling
- Talking to myself
- Flowchart
Thanks, I use most of these techniques too. The bottom-up process you mentioned for writing is really helpful for a lot of things. I used to write documentation for work, and writing things down as if I were explaining them to someone else, like you suggested, is a great way to see things as a whole. Iâve started using a journal in the same way, just collecting my thoughts and trying to put them all together. Exercise has been a game changer. Iâve started running in the mornings and evenings, as well as lifting weights. I hate to admit it, but the exercise people were right lol
