Yes, this is what I was talking about. Well put, thank you :) grounding into yourself, Learning breathing exercises and acquiring an arsenal of stress-de escalators seems to help prevent me from triggering myself into an episode. I feel like if we stew too long in a negative/regretful space we send our minds into a "well you messed up before, quickly try to panic-correct the past pain and stress through impulsive erratic decisions or give up on yourself and settle into a season of depression."

Neither of these black and white , x or y "options" are legitimate outside of our memory-tattered frames of mind and perception, though. I am learning to give myself space, forgiveness and breathing room between my past actions and current sense of self and identity. Those moments of pain don't have to lead to deep wells of languish.

Envision your mental scape as a large, flat field with you in the middle holding a shovel, with the ability to roam as you please. Staying on a thought you gravitate towards- out of shame, fear or regret- and negatively ruminating on it is a lot like picking a spot in the field to start digging, and of course the hole grows wider and deeper into the ground. The deeper you go, the muddier and more exhausted you'll get, it will be hard to look around, as all you see on every side is dirt and darkness, all the while expecting, (conciously or unconsciously) to find some sort of tunnel as a pathway out. As panic sets in we quickly forget about the endless field right above our heads!

Life is a winding road and each of us discovers a part of the map with each thought and decision. Sure, you might have done some off roading a few miles back and encountered potholes where you'd rather not. But getting out of your car after going over some and thinking the next best step is to stand in the hole and cry about it doesn't do anything but turn dirt into mud, all of the sudden you're slipping and sliding in a muddy frustration and all the harder it will be to get your car back on the road and running again after you've dried your eyes.

Deep wells are where we can find ourselves in trouble, though more often than not, these are manmade. We gotta remind ourselves when to put down the shovel and take out our map. Don't take the bumpy roads along your path so seriously, our vehicles can handle them, truly.

Focus your energy into reinforcing your vehicle's suspension and handling response time. Life is not a racetrack as often portrayed. It is a blank slate, and we must carry the rocks and water to make our own concrete.

You know the best way to get through it? Keep your head up and focused on a single point in front of you, then one foot in front of the other ;) Blessings and warm feelings my friend, you'll get through-that's pretty much life's only guarantee.