Nick-E’s Mental Health Guide CHEAT SHEET
Full Guide Here
Printable Cheatsheet
Self-Soothing Protocol Cheat-sheet:
Find a place that you can be alone and won’t be interrupted, if possible, somewhere you feel safe
- Perform 3-5 minutes of Paced Breathing using this webapp (or a similar app on your phone if you have it) to soothe your nervous system and get you out of Fight-or-Flight mode.
- As a reminder, 3-1-6-2 or 4-1-8-2 (inhale-hold-exhale-hold) are my recommended intervals for this purpose, but you can tinker to whatever feels comfortable for you as long as it is:
- 4 – 6 breaths per minute
- Exhale twice as long as inhale
- Brief hold at the end of the exhale
- If you have time, repeat this 3-5 minutes over and over until you get either the saliva swallowing or yawning indicator mentioned in the main guide.
- As a reminder, 3-1-6-2 or 4-1-8-2 (inhale-hold-exhale-hold) are my recommended intervals for this purpose, but you can tinker to whatever feels comfortable for you as long as it is:
- To manage feelings of physical panic or dissociation, notice all of your senses with the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
- To manage distressing thought patterns, notice your thoughts and feelings with the Thought-Feeling Record, possibly using the Feelings Wheel and Unhelpful Thinking Styles list, if helpful.
- Complete the rest of the Thought-Feeling Record to reframe/substitute your distressing thoughts with more rational and/or compassionate alternatives
- To finish, do something to add more ‘life soothers’ to your immediate situation (this can be called ‘self-care’ if that term is appealing to you)
e.g. taking a bath, making yourself a tea or hot chocolate, snuggling up in a blanket, making yourself a nice comfort meal, getting fresh air, listening to music that makes you feel calm and happy, praying or similar spiritual activity etc.
Not all steps need to be completed every time, as you may find that for more minor threat states, 5 minutes of breathing is more than enough to get you back into a clear brain mode, but simply complete as many steps as you need to genuinely feel better.
Sometimes I will get halfway through the Thought-Feeling record and realise my brain is already out of threat state, and I just go on with my day!