Home » Misc » How to snap out of it

How to snap out of it


12 Ways to ‘Snap Out of It’. Self-Liberation Made Easy and… | by Floris Koot | The Gentle Revolution

No, the book doesn’t exist. These pointers should be enough if you’re serious about this. ;)

Self-Liberation Made Easy and Essential.

So there I was on my toilet, snapping myself ‘out of it’. Call it an autumn depression of a kind. Basically, I caught myself in moody thinking and realized I had a choice. I snapped myself out of it. Went back to body awareness and then tended to some kitchen clean-up. And went back to be in my head, but now thinking about ways to ‘snap yourself out of it’. This is the result of that thinking, based on personal experiences and spiritual traditions made simple.

Caught in a Web

Many of us feel not fully alive. Many often feel caught or imprisoned by a double bind that keeps them postponing action. “I want to stand up for this outrage, but I need to pay the rent/fear getting fired.” “I’m such a loser. (You’re not. Society is mad.) What difference can I make?” Etc. Dark thoughts, worry, and depression. Self-victimization. Meanwhile, life passes by. Many people experience a lack of aliveness while enduring, whatever pain they’re suffering from. Especially heavy thoughts and no action can wear people down. From personal debts and meaningless jobs to global warming, what can we do to liberate ourselves and make the difference we seek? Doing more of the same and staying put won’t make a difference.

‘Snap Out of It!’

Self-liberation has been a great thing throughout history. Change begins within. It begins with the willingness to see, to observe and conclude, and to act on findings. Yet all too often we don’t know what we could do, or every fantasy of action leads to freezing up because of visions of ‘what might happen’. Snap out of that.

Here are 12 shortcuts from various spiritual wisdom traditions and modern insights you can use:

1. Be Here Now!

When caught in thought, snap your fingers. Literally, snap yourself out of it. Return to here and now in your body. Feel your butt, feet or listen to the world around you. Just be present. Then do what matters now. Mind you, at the least 95% present of all your thoughts is nonsense anyway. This is the basis of all meditation practices: be present with what is here and now. Snip!

2. Breathe

Focus on your breathing. If snapping yourself into the here and now wasn’t enough, then meditate. Just breath and stay consciously aware you’re doing it. There many ways to meditate. It might be the most widespread and oldest method for self-improvement, or, when things don’t change, for acceptance. Meditation brings wisdom, through a healthy distance from self-destructive thinking and deeper being in touch with the world as a whole. Meditate.

3. Accept it hurts

Too often we just don’t want to feel the pain. It hurts. So we hide pain under fake smiles, distractions, storytelling laying the blame elsewhere, or depressed thinking. Yes, thinking isn’t feeling. We can’t really move forward when we don’t acknowledge the pain we’re feeling, whether it’s for a death in the family, terrible bosses, or the state of the planet. So only when we acknowledge the pain and its message can we start transforming it. Accept it.

And stop judging yourself! I have to add, that when I had depressions I found that rather than worry about them, I better accept them. So I stopped being anxious about not producing anything. The second I started to judge myself I’d stop that idiot thinking. I trusted my body needed some rest, beyond my understanding. So now rather than think about it, I watch a good movie or play or write, forgetting everything else. And much sooner than ever before I get out of it. I now have short periods I hibernate without guilt. Very calming. Probably very natural too, as we are biological beings. Accept it.

The following tips you can do on your own or (share) with others.

4.

Play

If you can play with something, it means you’re free with it. Play is how nature invented learning. Playfulness creates a healthy aliveness and gets you in touch with the ‘possibility field’ or your creativity. It gives you options, fun and, freedom; all because you choose to play with or in your situation. This includes tactics such as turning a bad situation into an advantage. So play with it, make fun of it, act it out, make a game out of it. Or find friends to play with. Make a little movie, dance, make art, play a game. Play.

5. Do Bodywork

We mostly get caught in situations, because we aren’t present in our body. We get caught in lousy circular logic. We imprison ourselves in negative frames or let others talk us into them. But the mind is only a small part of our system. Each of us is mostly body, and this body has a lot of wisdom. It notices a lot of things our thinking can’t. Therefore bodywork is training in being present, and much sharper noticing what’s going on. Thus train your body. Dance.

Sing, while snapping your fingers for good measure too.

6. Sing about it

When you can do tip 5 you can do 6. Many singers became world-famous because of turning pain into art. It may not solve the problems, it may not even make them lighter. If singing (or any artistic expression) doesn’t help heal you, very often it helps heal others. Yet, I found singing my anguish in my own house, makes me feel alive. It makes me feel this human experience is all worth it. And that, my friends, is what being alive means; living and expressing being alive. Sing.

The next tips you can only do with, or for, others.

7. Build Relationships

Many people who are hurting stow themselves away. So many people also confuse personal pain and collective pain. Consider it’s not only your kid who is hurting in school, many parents share that worry. You’ll find out when you share your worries. You might find the system itself is sick. This goes for many of our problems. Through building relationships we discover friends, helpers, like-minded people in similar circumstances and we create deeper connections. Those are often in themselves part of healing. Make Friends.

8. Question It.

We can accept our situation or question it. Our ‘normal’ is often already kind of crazy for others. Or as the fools say it, ‘everyone is somebody else’s fool’. This means everyone will have people pointing at them, claiming they live ridiculously. Better than to dig in, is to start asking questions about everything, even the most basic things. You may discover something new about yourself or your society. And all that curiosity leads to learning, insight, and action. Question everything.

9. Walk Out

Sometimes things suck and you can’t do anything about them. Sometimes people end up in deadening jobs or lives. We have may make up many reasons to stay, for safety mostly. But who wants to die with regrets? The worst regret it has been said is to die without having expressed the deeper, more real, self in this world. What makes you come alive? If that is something elsewhere, with other people, then build up the courage and go for it. Walk out.

And the last three are about forgetting yourself and put another center stage.

10. Be a Hero

Action heroes in movies overcome the odds by two simple traits. Firstly, they never give up. Secondly, they actively look around to see how they can help themselves and others out of a certain mess. They are truly being awake in the moment. They give no focus on what is wrong with them, ask no questions about meaning and reasons. They act in the now, strictly looking for pragmatic solutions. And thus liberate themselves and often many others from some mess. Act now.

11. Help Others

Probably the biggest prison is too much focus on Self. “I should be happy.” “I want attention.” “I deserve a break.” All that leads to is a pumped-up ego. Our inner worlds are labyrinths. Working on self often turns out to be a minefield to get lost in, for life. Much easier is it to get back to happiness helping others. Even random acts of kindness boost positive hormones. So helping is good for you, good for others, good for everyone. Why not try it? Make a difference.

12. Help the World

All in all, our current world is in a mess, see my other blogs, and we need action everywhere on almost everything. It’s too late for navel-gazing or self-indulgence, especially when you have children you want to see having a future. Not acting now is the collective ‘being in it’. Nationalism, tribalism, left or right are all too narrow viewpoints, not representing the reality of interconnectedness and interdependence. We need a collective ‘snapping out of it’ and collaborative action all over the planet. Help grow the movement.

13. Focus on Gratitude

Nothing worked so far? 12 ways that sucked for you? Wow, perhaps you need to not seek to achieve freedom or finding ways to get out of it. Let it go. Do either nothing, snap out of this, or, if your brain really loves action: Focus on gratitude. Receive gifts, compliments and accept you’re worth them. Focus on gratitude for all the good moments, for all the support your body gives you. Share daily or weekly moments you feel gratitude for with a partner or friend. And slowly you may become aware how rich your life already is. Focus on gratitude.

Wisdom, Play & Presence and Purpose.

In short, these are all ways to ‘snap out of it’ and start acting. If your snap doesn’t lead to more presence or even action, you haven’t really ‘snapped out of it’. You can snap by increasing your freedom, through playfulness and dancing. You can liberate yourself from your thoughts through increasing wisdom and gratitude. You can take steps to act outwards in the world. Boost your aliveness, awareness, self-expression. They all help to snap out of it. Easy actions, big difference. And if this is the 7th list you’re reading today with tips. Stop. Snap out of that too. :)

Bonus: the masters of snapping you out of it.

They say, that when you are asleep in daily life and don’t wake up in time, tricksters will fool you. They’ll hit you awake, trouble you, steal from you, lie to you, all of that, until you learn. Some tricksters are friendly and seek to help to wake you up. Others are frauds making use of your sleeping. One could claim the USA is collectively asleep with Trump as president, or superstorms are saying our lifestyle has consequences. Being awake is therefore a very serious thing, both personally and collectively. So awake yourself, and even better, help waking up others, whether with a flick of the fingers or with developed methods. Enjoy the ride.

Want to be more creative? Here is an elegant post on how to snap into it.

Depression: Why we can’t “just snap out of it” and what can we do?

By Thanos Nioplias, LMHC

Most people believe that the primary symptom of depression is sadness.  Even though this perception is somewhat accurate, depression is, in reality, a much more complicated state that includes not only negative emotions but also physiological changes, such as disturbances in appetite and sleep, as well as changes in the individual’s self-concept- the way one sees themselves.  

Even in this mental-health friendly age, many people still believe that one can “snap out” of depression. The reality is that depression is a complicated emotional state that includes not only sadness but also physiological changes, such as disturbances in appetite and sleep efficiency, as well as changes in an individual’s self-concept – the way we see ourselves. Once a person is in the midst of a depressive episode, they are often literally unable to see themselves in a positive light or regulate their bodies.

However, small behavioral changes over time can definitely make a huge difference for depressed individuals and help them to recovery from depressive episodes and prevent future lows. This is because depression tends to create struggles in two main life areas: Decreased levels of pleasure in everyday life activities (anhedonia), and negative judgments about oneself including endorsing beliefs like “I am not good enough” and “I can’t do anything right,” among others.   Having this awareness can be helpful in understanding and managing depression. Since depression can significantly affect our experience of pleasure and sense of self, engaging in pleasurable activities and striving for mastery can be an antidepressant.

To clarify: These strategies are not ways to “snap out” of depression, but they are tried and tested methods to manage the long-term course of depressive mood states.

P is for Pleasure

We live in a society that glorifies busy-ness, productivity and financial success. As a result, time for relaxation, leisure, and joy is considered secondary and may even be completely neglected. The price that we pay for this attitude can be very significant: When humans go through several weeks or even days without engaging in any kind of pleasurable activity, we begin to experience a sense of emotional deprivation, stress and increasing physical exhaustion. In a nutshell, neglecting pleasurable experiences is the recipe for unhappiness.

For individuals battling depression it is important to schedule activities that typically increase positive emotions on a daily basis, even if one doesn’t “feel like” doing them. Pleasant activities can be as simple as seeing a good friend, visiting a place that is soothing, or artwork. It is crucial to remember to keep an open, non-judgmental mind while engaging in pleasurable activities.  For instance, if the activity is not truly fun, try again tomorrow and then again the day after. And if the activity isn’t fun day after day for 3-5 days, don’t judge yourself for feeling blah rather find another activity that is very stimulating and immersive, such as sports, movies, or even trivia games that leave little time for worry. Last, if you cannot think of anything that sparks positive emotions for you currently, continue exploring and experimenting and keep active anyway. Simply doing “pleasure” activities (even if they don’t feel fun) can change our emotions over time.

M is for Mastery

As mentioned above, depression also interferes with how we perceive our competencies. Needless to say, when we think negatively about ourselves, we tend to withdraw and avoid important day to day tasks. Mastery refers to the effort of striving for small accomplishments every day (e.g., paying bills, going grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, running errands), and it can have a huge impact on depression. When building mastery, it is helpful to set goals that are not too easy, but also not too hard, in order to slowly and steadily increase our self-esteem and confidence. Scheduling activities that are mildly to moderately challenging yet doable is generally the most effective way to make yourself accountable and to also set yourself up for small successes. Similar to pleasure activities, building a sense of mastery is a journey that requires patience, persistence and a non-judgmental stance, and also consistency. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again…

Conclusion

In my clinical practice, I have observed that individuals who experience depression struggle significantly in two main life areas: they experience decreased levels of pleasure in their everyday lives, while they also have negative judgments about themselves, endorsing beliefs like “I am not good enough” and “I can’t do anything right,” among others.   Having this awareness has helped both my clients and myself to better understand depression and take steps to manage it.  In other words, if depression can significantly affect one’s experience of pleasure and their sense of competence, what IF striving for activities that bring pleasure and mastery is in fact an effective antidepressant? 

Private, discrete, and accessible care.

See All

Manhattan

Location

200 West 57th St

View Map

Brooklyn

Location

26 Court St

View Map

Rockland County

Location

222 Route 59

View Map

Great Neck

Location

1000 Northern Blvd

View Map

Virtual Therapy

Location

Online

Boston

Location

575 Boylston St

View Map

See All

Speak with a Patient Care Manager

You can start the intake process today by scheduling a time to speak with a Patient Care Manager. To contact us for general inquiries please click here. 

How to get out of this state and start living?

How to get out of this... Relcome

#1

#2

#3

#4

Zyuzya.

Hello. I am 20 years old and I do not study and do not work. I finished 11 classes, entered the institute, but took the documents before the first session, I realized that I had entered the wrong place. I sit on the neck of my parents, yes, I'm ashamed . . I'm a terrible hypochondriac, paranoid, sociophobe I don’t know how to make new acquaintances, maintain dialogues, I just don’t know how, I don’t know how to do it. I have no friends. I am constantly at home. No hobbies or hobbies either. Drawing is not mine, sewing and knitting too. Skates, mountain skiing, bicycle, rollers. - not mine. I can't find mine. I never worked. I tried to find a job, once I was at an interview, but they did not call me back. I still have terrible complexes. I constantly compare myself with others .. Everyone around me seems more beautiful than me. Because of this, I get depressed. I tried many times to pull myself together, but to no avail. In a day everything becomes as before. There are many plans, but no implementation. And half of them rests on money (I want to start with myself and go to the gym). But I don’t have money, because I don’t work, but I can’t find a job. Vicious circle. Maybe someone had something similar? Or any advice on where to start?

#5

Guest

I am a terrible hypochondriac, vdshnitsa, sociophobe. It motivates me to do great things, not to worry about myself. And forget about yourself.

#6

#7

#8

#9

Guest

Turn yourself into a psychiatric hospital, let them give you a disability.

#10

Guest

SCHAZZ, they will treat and work, otherwise you will give a disability ...

# 11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

01:35

#20

#21

#22

Woman. ru experts

    Dotsenko Vsevolod

    Psychologist

    175 answers

  • Daria Gorbunova

    Practicing psychologist

    134 answers

  • Maxim Sorokin

    Practicing psychologist

    599 answers

  • Vyacheslav is rich

    Certified practitioner...

    217 responses

  • Nidelko Lyubov Petrovna

    Practicing psychologist

    219 answers

  • Alla Buraya

    Psychologist

    25 answers

  • Novikova Olga Dmitrievna

    Practicing psychologist for . ..

    10 answers

  • Julia Lekomtseva

    Cosmetologist

    242 answers

  • Nina Babanakova

    Nutritionist, consultant on...

    78 answers

  • Krasavina Ekaterina

    Psychologist

    13 answers

#23

#24

9000 #25000 April 2015, 20:45

#26

True stories

  • The man immediately warned that all the property was registered to the children

    393 answers

  • Such a salary - I don't want to work

    248 answers

  • A lie 22 years long.

    How to destroy?

    602 answers

  • Husband left, 2 months of depression... How will you cope if you are left all alone?

    144 answers

  • A man wants a family with me, but he doesn't have enough money!

    637 responses

#27

:)

the author, I'm the same) but I'm 27. I didn't have any friends, especially since I've been a loner since the 1st grade. But this did not stop me from marrying at less than 22 years old for a normal person who perceives me for who I am. By the way, I don’t work, I just can’t see people. I am not ready to give birth to children yet) In general, I am a child of nature and a creative vulnerable person) everything will be fine with you. look for a husband, not girlfriends.

#28

:)

the author, I'm the same) but I'm 27. I didn't have any friends, especially since I've been a loner since the 1st grade. But this did not stop me from marrying at less than 22 years old for a normal person who perceives me for who I am. By the way, I don’t work, I just can’t see people. I am not ready to give birth to children yet) In general, I am a child of nature and a creative vulnerable person) everything will be fine with you. look for a husband, not girlfriends.

#29

#30

Guest

Please tell us how you got married with such sociophobia? After all, with the opposite sex I also need to communicate. I can’t communicate with anyone, despite the fact that men like me, I still can’t keep in touch with them.

#31

#32

#33

#34

Guest

I immediately went to work and studied at the evening, options I just didn’t have it, I still remember my buzz from the first salary, I immediately ran to buy a tape recorder, from the second sneakers reebok branded, from the third a leather bag, wow, it’s great to buy something for myself, there was no time to think about worthlessness. ...

New topics per day:

  • Pressure or anxiety

    2 answers

  • Who has phobias?

    2 answers

  • Is it possible to become a Lark from an Owl?

    4 answers

  • Anxiety drives you crazy

    No answers

  • Dreams are better than life.

    4 answers

  • How to get out of depression?

    10 answers

  • Can consciousness block scary memories?

    4 answers

  • Panic attacks or what was it?

    4 answers

  • Question about talentsy courses. Who studied? Give feedback

    3 answers

  • Constantly crying

    11 answers

0003

  • Reply! who got pregnant after IVF?

    219 326 answers

  • SPRING!!!!

    131 951 answer

  • The soul never gets old! A woman from 40 to 60 years old, is it a berry? - 2

    109 395 answers

  • CYSTITIS just got it!!!

    106 752 answers

  • Summer is coming and we are not ready

    94 477 answers

  • Dreams are better than life.

    4 answers

  • Is it possible to become a Lark from an Owl?

    4 answers

  • Who has phobias?

    2 answers

  • Pressure or anxiety

    2 answers

  • Axiety drives crazy

    No answers

    • 27 323 Answer

  • Help part with a married man

    9 698 answers

  • Men will stare that they sowed

    444 140 answers

    • 902

    3,897 answers

  • Why do men forget how to care?

    9 223 answers

  • Question to mistresses: why are you doing this?

    16,041 answers

  • I can't survive without a man

    4,778 answers

  • Why do I need a man if he doesn't get better?

    14 181 answers

  • How to recognize a gigolo?

    3,959 answers

  • Is it worth trying to live together?

    272 responses

5 responses

Last - Cross

#1

#3

#4

#5

Flickering

Staring game, social network-kindergarten. What feelings? .Invented a world of pink ponies. In the ban and all business.

New topics for the day: