1. < Caregivers: Dementia

Positive Coping Strategies

Posted by judimahoney @judimahoney, 4 days ago

I was having an anxiety attack the other day, so decided to search for positive coping strategies. Even though I've learned about all of the attached, I wrote them out long-hand as a way to ground myself and calm down.
I also texted my siblings and let them know I needed virtual support.
Good luck in your quest to cope, fellow caregivers!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Caregivers: Dementia Support Group.

sully1965 | @sully1965 | 1 day ago

Thank you for the coping strategies and the suggestion for flowers in the house once a week.

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sillyblone | @sillyblone | 1 day ago

I think you are brave in realizing that you needed support. Hugs!

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myrtbeth | @myrtbeth | 1 day ago
In reply to @bclane "This is a list that I'm sure I will find useful. What I have depended upon..." + (show)
@bclane

This is a list that I'm sure I will find useful. What I have depended upon most so far is fiction. I've always loved reading fiction and I write/self-publish, too. I find I can be really stressed out, feeling breathless and as if my heart is racing, but if I can sit down for at minimum 15 minutes or so and lose myself in a fictional world, I get back to normal. I know that might not work for people who don't enjoy reading, but for me, it's like a mini-vacation. I'm fortunate in that my husband goes to bed early, which gives me an hour or so to read before I lie down. And I work it in as much as I can during the day, too.

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Fiction is a great stress reliever. If I am stressed in a situation where I can't stop to read, I have always found it calming to just imagine alternative scenarios or continue story plots I have already read. It may sound weird, but from childhood, this really helped a lot. I'm 74, and it still works.

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1 reply
mablesmith | @mablesmith | 21 hours ago

I was diagnosed with MCI this past year. I like this list and will be using it along with my biblical scriptures. Thank you for sharing.

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pamela78 | @pamela78 | 12 hours ago

Virtual support IS support, so good for you for requesting it. I have a couple of distant friends who do the same for me and it makes a real difference.

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pamela78 | @pamela78 | 12 hours ago
In reply to @myrtbeth "Fiction is a great stress reliever. If I am stressed in a situation where I can't..." + (show)
@myrtbeth

Fiction is a great stress reliever. If I am stressed in a situation where I can't stop to read, I have always found it calming to just imagine alternative scenarios or continue story plots I have already read. It may sound weird, but from childhood, this really helped a lot. I'm 74, and it still works.

Jump to this post

A post after my own heart. Without fiction I'd be completely lost. I'm a retired English professor so I guess that's no surprise, but books have been my escape throughout my entire life. Some folks have religion; I don't. For me books are the antidote to despair. Good luck to you as you carry on.

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