Things To Do During Desperate

Do you ever feel desperate during a time of battering and panic? Here are some things to do when you are feeling desperate.

Breathe deeply.

1. Get a favorite item of clothing or book and hold it.

2. Put on a relaxation tape.

3. Sit in your rocking chair.

4. Call a friend.

5. Call another friend if that friend is not at home.

6. Stroke your dog or cat.

7. Take a hot bath.

8. Write a hundred times, "I’m safe"

9. Run around the block three times.

10. Listen to soothing music.

11. Pray.

12. Breathe again.

13. Yell into your pillow.

14. Watch an old movie on TV or read a mystery novel.

15. Eat.

16. Start again at #1.

Sometimes you feel so bad about your parents and their problems that you want to die. The pain is so great, your feelings of self- loathing are so strong, the fear is so intense that you really don’t want to live. These are real feelings, and it is important that you don't deny them. It is essential, however, that you do not act on them. It's okay to feel devastated. It’s not okay to hurt yourself.

It is hardest to reach out when you need it the most, but give yourself a loving push to break out of your isolation. If you're with a true friend, you can ask to be hugged. If you’re alone, call someone. It’s a good idea to plan this before things with your parents get out of hand. Have several numbers close by to call if things get sticky at home, if the battering and abuse become more than you can stand.

If you are in a support group or in therapy, arrange to call the therapist or a group member. Make a contract with a friend that you'll call each other when you’re in need. Making the call may be the last thing you feel like doing, but you have to honor the contract and your friend, so pick the phone up and DIAL.

Almost anything that works is fair in dealing with home abuse, but there are a few things you should avoid.

• Don’t enter stressful or dangerous situations.

• Stay off the road.

• Don’t drink or abuse drugs.

• Avoid making important decisions.

• Don’t hurt yourself or anyone else.

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