How do you deal with emotional distress without relying on substance

Exercise
It's natures drug

Just do it till you feel like you might pass out

Meditation if you can stomach it

A creative outlet helps me a lot
Writing, music, painting, coding even
Something that allows you to pour your struggles into

Music can be cathartic

Coffee is a drug you can legally abuse

People that are your friends when all else fails

>>17825450
Agree with all this but want to add, make sure that your diet is good (lots of water, lots of vegetables, meals as regular as possible) and you get quality sleep. The best way to ensure that is to not spend any time behind a screen for the last ~thirty minutes before heading to bed, and instead doing something relaxing like showering, reading, drawing, listening to not too high energy music. Then get around eight hours of sleep a night if at all possible.

Also if meditation is one bridge too far for you, just reflecting on the stuff you need to do also does something to keep the panic down.

>>17825432
Long term goals and hobbies.
Exercise is good too (although it takes a while to go from "it's a pain" to "it's makes you feel good" phase).

>>17825432
Meditation.

Clinically proven stuff, no spiritual bullshit required.

Your brain is kind of like muscle and neuroplasticity means it can change.

Mindfulness meditation strengthens the pre frontal cortex. Makes for great stress relief, and helps with emotion control and gives you more control in silencing racing thoughts.

Hypnosis, surprisingly works well too if you want to see someone about that. Its not like on TV, and really its just guided meditation. Shown to be an excellent treatment for stress, emotional disorders and addiction.


If you are covered for medication though Id really just go to a doctor and see if hes got something to help. Much easier and works fine, meditation it hard to take up and hypnosis is expensive, and a large majority of practicioners are phone college snake oil salesmen.

>>17825432

exercise helps. you can also try non addictive things like tea. i know that sounds silly i thought tea was for faggots, but even in the summer i drank a hot cup of chammomille tea every night because it relaxes you.

you can also just go to a park and sit.

you can also make a 'list' of everything that needs done. this helps mostly before bed cuz it stops your brain from staying up all night thinking about tomorrow.

>>17825432
me too

that is difficult problem

exercise is good

finding something to focus on helps me, either good author read their books, or some kind of volunteer thing to avoid thiking about my own life

Agree with these anons, exercise can help a lot just get your body moving. For me personally, I enjoy blasting some music or practicing my bass or acoustic.