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What to do if you cant access mental health care?

They may only know whether they feel good or bad.

It also is the first step to identifying, what do I need?

If I feel angry, do I need to assert myself in some way?

If I feel lonely, do I need to reach out and connect to someone?

Because thoughts arent facts.

In Rathbones words, opposite action is a tool people can use when emotions turn into moods.

In those situations, folks have to bring down the intensity theyre feeling.

Mood has taken over and youre likely to do something impulsive and emotional.

Self-soothing can include a range of activities, according to Rathbone.

While people love this skill, Rathbone warns that its not the final solution.

The urges people felt will come back, which is why once theyre calmer they have to start problem-solving.

If not, you’re free to end up stuck in a cycle of avoidance behaviors to cope.

Its easy to remember because the name is intuitive.

When people are distressed, a lot of times theyre fighting reality, he explained.

Some of these things that help you oughta be part of your routine, Stoycheva said.

[you gotta make time] for them, not only when youre in a crisis.

Both tendencies can lead to a lot of distress.

In this way, she helps them create emotional boundaries.

Once thats done, Stoycheva says, focus on the pile you’re free to control.

Stoycheva explains that triggers can be scary situations, certain people, certain places, or even certain notions.

It can even be a TV show that portrays something distressing that may be happening in your life.

Knowing your triggers is important so people can minimize their exposure to them or prepare themselves if theyre inevitable.

Its better to anticipate it and take more care, she said.

So, this happened, Im triggered.

Let me go read a book for a moment.

Let me go calm myself down.

Say, for example, the thought is that youre a horrible person, she said.

In that situation, we should ask ourselves a few questions.

First, whats the evidence for that thought?

Whats the evidence against that thought?

The evidence against it is that [it] doesnt reflect on me overall, Gordon said.

I might think about some positive things that Ive done that are not horrible person behaviors.

And so sometimes that can help people get through distress, too, Gordon stated.

Furthermore, mental health care is not one and done, Rathbone explained.

Stoycheva suggests visualizing yourself as a thermometer.

On the bottom, the thermometer is green.

Its followed (upwards) by yellow, orange, and red at the top.

Green means youre good.

You feel OK, youre happy, and youre relatively calm, even though you may have some challenges.

Next up is yellow, which indicates there are some stressors.

You dont feel great, but youre managing, and you could see the way out.

Its hard, but youre going to get it done.

People at this point feel like theyre not in control and feel helpless.

Folks in this mindset know theyre not OK and might start to isolate.

They dont want to talk to people because its overwhelming and dont want to go anywhere.

Other times, their eating might be dysregulated.

Those are usually times to reach out, Stoycheva said.

It means that your nervous system has been overtaxed, and youve tried to white-knuckle it on your own.

And you cant lift it by yourself.