Favorite Strategies For Fending Off Misery?

[kjc]

I'm feeling a lot of self-loathing these days.

What's your favorite way to fend off the BADNESS? (Doesn't matter whether it's the blues, the blahs, or the screaming meemies...)

My usual strategies ain't workin.

Comments

[shostack]

I feel your pain, babe. For me, its exercise. The harder the better. Even if I don't want to. I have a trainer that I pay a lot of money to to make me work out hard especially when I don't want to. Because when I feel that bad, I can't motivate myself to work out on my own.

Best of luck.

[yesthattom]

The first few chapters of this book helped me deal with self-loathing.

He has a really ugly web site.

[n5red]

Not a clue.

[drwex]

If my usual strategies aren't working there's usually some underlying reason. I spend a few minutes (and really, I mean like 5-10 minutes) trying to meta-analyze: WHY isn't this working

[metagnat]

Depending on what I've already tried, any of these strategies sometimes help me. None of them work 100 percent, though:

- starting a new project (something I can get excited about)
- reading an old favorite.
- long, hot bath or shower
- cheezy, schmaltzy catharsis (ie. watching a movie designed to make you cry)
- hiding from the world in a constant fiction bombardment
- bugging the cats (holding a cat who doesn't want to be held can sometimes be a strangely satisfying exercise)
- getting really angry about something (it usually helps because it puts me in a more active space, but is dangerous, because it can slip back into depression pretty easily.)
- walking alone
- taking a nap
- comfort food
- making lists!

-E

[metagnat]

I also forgot: dancing to loud, loud music (usually alone in a room, somewhere - I'm not a clubby person)

-E