One of “those” nights

I absolutely have nights (and days) like that.

Someone asked a similar question earlier today, about what things I do to distract myself during those times, and here’s what I said:

Some things that helped me in the past (but I don’t know whether they would help anyone else):

1) Find a song that you really like, one that sounds powerful or gives you goose bumps. Put on some headphones and listen to it over and over. Somehow when I do this it gives me energy by providing something to focus on. Music has an energy all its own, and all we have to do is listen.

2) When I was a child, I would have severe panic attacks for no reason (at least no reason I could identify at the time, other than a strange sense of deja vu). They eventually stopped when I decided to just let them happen and sort of analyze them as they happened. It was as if I allowed myself a sense of scientific detachment, like a guy in a lab coat watching a rat. Eventually those kinds of panic attacks diminished to nothing. These days I have different kinds of panic attacks for reasons I CAN identify, but at least the horribly crippling ones aren’t happening anymore.

3) Find a book (or movie) you really like; find one with another world you can “go” to. Whether it’s science fiction or fantasy or whatever. Whenever this world seems like too much, just sit quietly and imagine that you ARE in that other world. Maybe even create a whole different character for yourself. It makes a “safe” place to escape to, when things get to be too much.

I’m not sure if any of this will help you, but it has all helped me at one time or another.