what physical experiences do you find soothing?

[aroraborealis]

You know that amorphous feeling of agitation that can lead you to jiggle your leg, or fidget, or just feel kind of antsy? What actions and sensations help you manage it or, ideally, dissipate it?

For example, sometimes I have this mix of formless antsiness/dread that wiggling my feet gently can almost completely erase. Or, if I'm having trouble settling my mind, I use an eye pillow filled with flax seeds, which provides a cool weight over my eyes and forehead that is very peaceful. Sometimes when I can't sleep, putting a slightly rough terrycloth towel over my pillow or over the sheet where I'm sleeping provides a soothing effect.

What works like this for you?

Comments

[blk]

A blanket. Preferably a super duper soft fuzzy one that is warming but not too hot, present but not too heavy, and invites the cat to come say hi. Sitting in my comfy poofy chair in the corner (where there's only room for one person) and curling my legs up.

[harimad.livejournal.com]

1. Getting stuff done.
Usually this feeling represents an underlying anxiety about undone jobs. My solution is to get jobs done. Doesn't have to be huge jobs: once I vacuumed the car.

2. Go to sleep.
Occasionally I get so tired that I get physically restless. Stretching my legs provides (very) temporary relief. But the only real solution is to sleep.

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Hm, these are interesting, but in my mind, they're in a different category from physical experience (actions or received experience). Do you categorize them differently?

[harimad.livejournal.com]

I started with "What makes me have an amorphous feeling of agitation or just antsy?"and went from there. For me, physical responses don't alleviate the antsiness.

(Does that help? I'm answering while tired, which might be a mistake.)

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

I would prefer if when I'm asking a specific question like this, you have an answer to a related but different question, that you save it for a different time or post it in another forum. For me, when people answer questions off topic like this it makes me feel like I haven't been attended to and that they care more about speaking than sharing. (To be clear: I'm not saying that's your intent or motivation, just that that's my experience of this kind of exchange, and it's my preference to avoid it.)

[harimad.livejournal.com]

I didn't perceive it as a different question - but if you'd like, you/I/we can delete these comments (save it for another time perhaps?). I wouldn't take that personally or as an affront.

[veek.livejournal.com]

Having something not-cold in contact with, or better yet, putting slight pressure on, my lower back. Spooning works. :) Sometimes I curl up on my side and nestle up against a couch or some such. Sometimes I lie on my back and draw my knees up to my chest, throw my arms around my legs, and hang out like that for a minute.

My favorite way to drive is with my lower back pressed right up against the back of the seat, sitting up straight so that the rest of my back doesn't really touch the seat at all.

It feels grounding.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

I have a ten-pound weight ball that I'll put on the small of my back while lying face down. It forces my back to relax.

[laurenhat.livejournal.com]

Running is my main coping mechanism for this any many other things. The fact that I haven't been able to run for a while is part of why I spent the morning talking to a psychiatrist about upping my meds for amorphous anxiety, and part of why I'm trying Headspace (thanks!). I wish I had more lightweight body techniques like those you mention!

[youvebeenpixied.livejournal.com]

Rocking. Pulling my legs into my chest and rocking. Sometimes just a side-to-side sway will work.

[contessagrrl.livejournal.com]

Moving my feet in (slow) circles has long been self-soothing for me. I do it when I'm having an anxiety attack, or feeling especially concerned about something. It's often the last thing I notice before I fall asleep as well ("oh, I'm moving my feet in circles. I bet I'll fall asleep soon...zzz").

If I'm exceptionally upset (closer to trauma), I will rock back & forth. It's a more intense self-soothing, basically.

[lazyz.livejournal.com]

For me, deep breathing, foot wiggling.
I read somewhere that leg jiggling indicates a desire to leave.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

Holding fabric over my mouth* calms me down. I imagine it's back from when I used to suck my thumb while holding the corner of a blanket under my nose.

*That is, when *I* do it.

[mizarchivist]

Spinning yarn is my favorite right now, but a heavy blanket is also good if that's not an option. If it's nice out, a bike ride is a lovely reset. QE putting his hand firmly on my sternum is a monkey-off switch. Nobody else has thought to do it, so it might work if someone else did, or he's magic.