If you’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety, and/or panic attacks for a while, you might be well aware of what can help you in these situations, while you’re well. But then the next bad moment, minute, hour or day comes along and you’re suddenly frozen. You can’t remember a single strategy to get yourself out of your intrusive thoughts. Or maybe you’ve never known many tools in the first place because you only recently to experienced your first mental health emergency.

Many strategies speak about more long-term strategies that can help prevent bad mental health but what can we really do if we need help NOW? If you are finding yourself in a mental health emergency or want to be prepared for the next one or maybe even be able to help a loved one, this article is for you. Read it, save it for later, share it with those who need it. This article will hopefully offer you some support and inspiration.

Most of these tools work by bringing you out of your thoughts and mind and into your body instead, thereby shifting your focus via your different senses. Other methods distract you from your thoughts or give them space. What works for one, might not for the other, so try which ones help you most.

Tools for a Mental Health Emergency

• smell something nice (essential oils, perfume)
• push with your hands against a wall 
• dance
• listen to music
• call a friend/family 
• write down your thoughts
• record a voice memo to yourself, sharing what’s on your mind

This is a great and straightforward option for those of us who don’t enjoy writing or just can’t seem to find the energy. Further, it’s a helpful tool for moments in which you have nobody to listen, for whatever reason. It really works wonders to speak out your thoughts!

• have a cold shower
• meditate
• progressive muscle relaxation
• take an imaginative journey to a place where you feel safe 
• do some yoga or stretching
• listen to positive affirmations

There are several great resources on Youtube, like this one, for example. The great thing is that you don’t need to do anything. Just lay down, relax and listen.

• cook a nice meal
• take some ice into your hands
• do some breathing exercises
• tap your body from head to toe  
• sing a mantra (or another song)
• talk to your inner child in a gentle way
• do some boxing (feel free to use a pillow or similar)
• do some art / crafts 
• do household chores (laundry, washing dishes, ironing, cleaning)

It might not be easy to get yourself to it but household chores are physical work, in the end, and therefore a great tool to distract you from your mental health emergency. Additionally, it’ll trigger your reward system once the task is completed and you can look at a clean room/clothes/dishes.

• read a book / magazine
• play an instrument 
• look at pictures of memories you cherish 
• give your thoughts a reality check 

We are thinking so many thoughts that aren’t true and instead full of assumptions without any proof for their correctness. I recommend you to check out the work of Byron Katie to give your thoughts a reality check and slowly integrate this method into your daily life.

• support / listen to someone else or do volunteer work 

This might sound counterintuitive because of course, you’re supposed to take care of yourself and your own well-being first, but helping others releases endorphins in our brain. Endorphins are one of our ‘happiness’ hormones and have a pain-suppressing effect.

• take a nap
• take a (foot) bath
•  get a massage / give yourself a foot massage
• listen to a podcast / audio book 
• say “stop” out loud in order to stop intrusive thoughts 
• switch your thoughts to another language 

This might sound crazy but switching our thoughts to a non-dominant language (so a language you don’t usually think in) helps to break stuck thinking patterns that we have in our dominant language such as negative self-talk.

• light a candle and watch the flame 
• look up in the sky and watch the clouds move 
• listen to sounds of nature (on Spotify / Youtube etc.)
• eat a very spicy chewing gum / drop 
• brush your teeth
• go somewhere isolated and scream as loud as you can
• cuddle with a pet, loved one or stuffed animal 
• smile 
• treat yourself (buy yourself flowers / cake)