Courtesy of Jharna Sutaria
Ever banged on lockers after a bad swim, yelled back at a coach during a disagreement, or flung your goggles so hard that they snapped? Swimming, like any other sport, is full of a whirlwind of emotions. Educating ourselves on how to cope with intense feelings can help us avoid impulsive behavior, and ease the training process.
When your mind is upset about something, it tends to fixate on the negative. This can quickly transition into a downward spiral if we are not being mindful of our thoughts and feelings.
One of the ways to manage these emotions are self-soothing skills. This technique allows us to get in touch with our five senses. Keep in mind that some coping mechanisms can satisfy multiple senses.
SEE:
Paint your nails
Watch a show
Draw
Write
Visit a garden
TOUCH:
Play with a furry pet
Baking/Cooking
Rub ice or hot pack against your skin
Take a warm or cool shower
SMELL:
Use flavored soaps and lotions.
Take a bubble bath with essential oils.
Baking/Cooking
HEAR:
Listen to music
Turn on white noise
Go outside and pay attention to the sounds
Listen to a podcast
TASTE:
Make something tasty
Try eating samples of all the types of taste (sweet, sour, spicy, salty, bitter)
Eat something warm and/or cold
Eat something crunchy and/or chewy
Bursting with joy after crushing best times, or breaking a team record, is very fulfilling. With this in mind, it is important to remember that these coping mechanisms aren’t just for unpleasant emotions. Happiness, like other feelings, takes up energy. Due to this, it’s important to be mindful of the intensity of our emotions, and use self-soothing skills as a healthy way to wind down.
About Jhama Sutaria
Each day is a challenge that comes with a lifetime of rewards.
Those who beg to differ have never truly lived.
Jharna Sutaria is a dazzling 17-year old who dreams of tracing her imprint on the world. As someone who is dealing with mental illness, Jharna believes in raising awareness and educating others about the subject. She wants to break the stigma that surrounds the invisible demons, through her writing.
Jharna’s first publication was at the age of 9 when one of her pieces was selected for the book, A Celebration of Poets. Over the past year, she has claimed Honorable Mention in the 2016-2017 Coppell Gifted Association (CGA) Creative Writing Competition. Jharna works as marketing designer for Academy of Texas Aquatic Champions (ATAC) Swim Club, and Light Heart, Focused Mind (LHFM). She is in the process of writing her first poetry book, The Magical Mess of My Mind , and created a poetry blog called Outburst. Jharna aspires to be a sports journalist when she graduates school.
The young woman has been in treatment since the winter of 2015 and is staying strong in her recovery. Some of the major things that get her through each day are her purpose, her heartbeat, and her story.
As a resident of Palo Alto, California, Jharna attends Paly Senior High School and is a swimmer on Rinconada Masters. She is also an open water swimmer and practices in the ocean with World Water Swim. She adores her 15-year-old sister, Arnavi, and her 9-year-old dog, Mandy.
Link to Outburst: http://jharnasutaria.wixsite.com/outburst
Citation:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/bl
—-She wants to break the stigma —
It would be far better for her to reject it, and work on educating those who project it.