candidlyautistic:

justaquickquestion:

misstaxidermiss:

fawxblogs:

wetwareproblem:

Because there was a TERF infestation on the other version:

We have a reflex called the dive response. It slows heart rate and breathing. This makes it really good for dealing with overwhelming emotions, including but not limited to anxiety and panic.

Next time you’ve tried everything and things are still Too Much? Fill a sink with the coldest water you can and stick your face in it. This will trigger the dive response and hopefully give you some room to breathe.

This technique sounds great, but is there a good alternative to facial submersion for folks like myself that have issues with blocking off their breathing tubes?

The other post recommended facial masks! (Like the ones used to cleanse your pores etc? I’m guessing it’s the cooling sensation all over your face

Better than face masks, for crisis management: the important thing is that your eyes and sinus area are very very cold: put an ice pack over that part of your face for as long as you can stand it.
This is part of the DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) skill, TIP.
Temperature – ice cold [water] on your face
Intense Exercise – something that will quickly exhaust you, done until you are exhausted, but not so that you injure yourself. I know that cardio triggers my asthma, but I can do sets of plank/incline pushups/wall-sits until my muscles are tired.
Progressive relaxation – lie down and tense/release muscles all over your body, one part at a time.

TIP is used when your distress level is an 8 or 9 out of 10; where you are afraid you cannot control your actions and cannot stop yourself from harmful or unwanted behaviors. Whereas a face mask is soothing, using ice or freezing water to trigger the dive response activates your reserve stores of Will to Live, as if you have fallen through ice, and overrides the urges you were previously feeling for long enough to do something about them.

I find that triggering a vasovagal response is also great for this sort of thing; if you don’t like ice packs on your eyes and sinuses, try on the back of your neck from where your neck meets your head to your shoulders.

Personally, I find slightly left of center works really well on me, but other people might find that other adjustments work for them.

The vasovagal response is a bit different than the one above,  but it can accomplish very similar results. I personally use it to help me relax and fall asleep when I have migraines that are so bad I want to scream. It lets me calm down enough to control my breathing and to fall asleep.