Coping Skills: Audiobooks, Podcasts, and Music

In my last post, I wrote about how I was dealing with some anxiety and some strategies I've used to get through it. One thing I didn't write about was how I've also used listening to books and podcasts to improve my mental health.

I know there's some debate out there about having earbuds on when you run, so I'll touch on that briefly. First, it's a safety thing. If you run with earbuds, you should either run with one out or run with the bone conduction earphones that leave the ears uncovered. It's not safe to run outside when you can't hear things like cars or bikes that may crash into you.

Other than the safety issue, there's the issue of not being mindful of your run. You may have trouble with pace, especially while listening to music. An upbeat song may cause you to run too fast. Also, by listening to something while you run, you may also may also miss out on the meandering stream of consciousness that can sometimes help you process your thoughts and work through problems.

That said, the issue I sometimes deal with when I'm in a more depressive, manic, or anxious state is a difficulty controlling my thoughts. I'll worry, ruminate, regret, and have arguments in my head (I often come up with the perfect thing to say ten years after an argument).

When I'm having trouble controlling my thoughts, listening to a book or a podcast while I run helps get me out of my own head. While running usually helps me break the cycle or rumination and worry, sometimes that time alone with my thoughts can be filled with negativity.

So, in order to to keep my mind from wandering to negative thoughts, I often listen to an audiobook or podcast while I run. Music might help too, although I find my mind wanders more when listening to music. I'd say that I'm about 50/50 on whether I'm going to listen to something or not when I run. Sometimes I listen just because I enjoy it, but I listen more when I'm having trouble controlling my thoughts and less when I'm in a good place emotionally.

Besides runs, I also often listen to books or podcasts while cleaning. It's sometimes hard to get motivated for chores, especially when I'm feeling depressed, and listening to something helps me complete a task by focusing my mind on something I enjoy rather than a mundane task.

If you're having trouble with negative thoughts, I'd encourage you to give podcasts or audiobooks a try. They might help you take your mind away from your negative thoughts and into something you pleasantly distracting.

Improving the Moment Part 2

In my last post I wrote about four ways from IMPROVE I use to cope with anxiety through the DBT skills of improve. For reference, the DBT acronym for IMPROVE stands for:

• Imagery
• Meaning
• Prayer
• Relaxation
• One thing in the moment
• Vacation
• Encouragement

For more detail on how this works, take a look at the article, "How to IMPROVE the Moment" from the Mindsoother website. I've covered the first four of these techniques, so this post will focus on the last three.

Using the one thing in the moment technique, one focuses the mind on one thing. When I'm feeling acute anxiety, it can become difficult to get anything done because my mind bounces from worry to worry and regret to regret. By focusing on one thing in the moment, I try to put those things aside and become involved in the task at hand. This can be as simple as focusing on the physical sensations of a run—my feet hitting the ground, my breath, the visuals of the scenery as I move. Or, I can focus on mundane tasks such as washing dishes and being mindful of the warm, soapy water on my skin rather than letting my mind wander to negative thoughts.

Using the vacation technique, one takes a "vacation" from a regular routine. This could be taking a break to read a book, calling or meeting a friend, or watching a TV show. These "vacations" can help take the focus away from negative thoughts to enjoyable experiences.

The last technique is encouragement. One can use encouragement to tell oneself that the stress being experienced is temporary, and that one is doing the best she or he can to cope with that stress. I try to use this technique by telling myself I am doing the best I can to deal with the stress I'm feeling, and with continued practice of the skills I've learned, my situation will improve.

Even if you don't have a mental illness, these techniques can help manage stress and reduce anxiety. Give them a try and see if they help improve your mood.

Improving the Moment

In my last post, I wrote about some ways I combat anxiety through mantras. Another way I use to cope with anxiety comes from DBT. The acronym IMPROVE provides a list of ways to improve depression and anxiety in the moment. IMPROVE stands for:

• I: Imagery
• M: Meaning
• P: Prayer
• R: Relaxation
• O: One Thing in the Moment
• V: Vacation
• E: Encouragement

To find out more about each, check out the article on the Mindsoother website, "How to Improve the Moment." In this post, I'll focus on imagery, meaning, and prayer.

Imagery involves imagining a situation that's better than the current situation. It can be an idealized future situation where things work out well. It could also be a past situation where life circumstances were positive. Using imagery has worked for me at times because I tend to think about negative experiences in the past or worry about what could go wrong in the future.

Meaning is about recognizing values and/or looking at past circumstances to tap into the meaning that can be learned from them. Using meaning has helped me think about what I can learn from past difficult situations as well as how I can apply my values to my current situation to turn it into an outcome I can improve.

Prayer lets one submit to the will of a higher power and helps one realize her or his own helplessness. As a Christian, it is helpful to me to know that Jesus went through every human experience and emotion that I do, so that God understands our suffering. At times I've struggled with my belief in God, especially because there's so much suffering in the world. I've heard and learned that there are just no easy answers, and that disbelieving in God will not make that suffering go away.

Relaxation is self-explanatory, but I'll explain it anyway. One can use a variety of ways to relax—meditation, progressive relaxation, listening to music, etc. The key is to find something that works. Sometimes my difficulties with relaxation stem from being anxious enough that I can't find something to relax as my mind continues to wander back to my worries. I'm now going to try harder to practice relaxation techniques when I'm not as anxious, so that when I am I'll be more likely to be successful.

Up next will be the rest of the IMPROVE techniques for coping with depression and anxiety. Thanks for reading.

•