Relieve depression by touching several objects and smells

The volatile smell of fresh citrus peels, the light aroma of dry natural herbs, and the burnt aroma of roasted grains. These 7 types of sensory stimulation are the lowest-cost, fastest-effective, and least side-effects means of instant mood regulation.

When I worked as an auxiliary volunteer at the Youth Psychological Assistance Station under the Municipal Mental Health Center two years ago, the storage basket at the front desk was always stuffed with these things: chilled white porcelain cups, washed white burlap handkerchiefs, chipped peach wood cubes, and soft silicone dumplings. There were always unpeeled tangerines in the fruit plate next to it, and dried mint packets and toasted whole wheat bread slices were stuffed in the drawer. When they first came in, many children lowered their heads and huddled up, refusing to say anything. They held an ice cup and rubbed it for two minutes, peeled an orange and smelled it for a few seconds, and their shoulders relaxed first.

When I was doing training with the consultants at the center, teachers from different schools had different starting points when it came to this topic. Teachers who do cognitive behavioral therapy say that this is essentially a kind of "grounding technique". People in a depressed state spend most of their time stuck in rumination thinking - a dead end where they dwell on past mistakes and panic about the future. Tactile and olfactory stimulation can directly bring people back to the present moment from floating negative thoughts: if you can touch the cold cup and smell the aroma of oranges, it means you are safe now, and those bad things that have been going over and over can't hurt you temporarily. Neuroscience teachers say it more realistically: Human touch and smell signals are not relayed through the thalamus, but are directly transmitted to the amygdala, which is responsible for emotional regulation, and are more than twice as fast as visual and auditory responses. It may take you two seconds to react when you see someone comforting you, but the moment your hand touches the ice and the moment the smell enters your nose, the switch for emotional regulation is directly pressed, leaving you no chance to get into trouble.

Not everyone is suitable for the "standard answers" listed above. I once met a girl who was overly sensitive to touch. Touching things with wood grain felt prickly, and pinching silicone felt sticky. Her favorite thing was to touch the fur of the blue cat at the aid station. It was slippery and soft. She petted the cat for ten minutes every time, and her mood stabilized. So you don’t need to be obsessed with categories. As long as you can touch something that can make you concentrate instantly and not make you feel irritated, you can use it. I still have a small stoneware cup in my desk drawer that I bought when I went to Jingdezhen last year. I freeze it in the summer and hold it for two minutes when I am irritable. It is more effective than drinking three glasses of iced Americano.

Compared with individual differences in touch, there are actually greater differences in odor preferences. There used to be a boy who failed in the postgraduate entrance examination. Every time he came here, he would put a dried orange peel in his pocket. He said that when he was in high school, his mother would stuff him an orange every day for lunch between classes. Now when he smells the orange peel, he feels that he is still in the high school classroom and there is still time for anything. Of course, there are counterexamples. One girl said that when she was a child, her father would eat oranges before hitting her every time, so she would feel nauseous when she smelled oranges. We quickly replaced all the oranges in the fruit bowl with apples, and she brought a dried lavender sachet herself, saying it smelled good. I would also like to mention here that you should try not to use industrial-flavored scented candles or perfumes. The smell of many fragrances is too strong and can cause irritation and headaches. Natural flavors are the most stable. Even the smell of your favorite washing powder or the sun smell of a washed quilt is more effective than imported fragrances costing hundreds of dollars.

Don't think that you can cure the disease by relying on these. I have met many people who have just been diagnosed with depression. They don't want to take medicine or seek consultation, so they just want to get over it by touching things and smelling them. That definitely won't work. These things are like small umbrellas you take with you when you go out on rainy days. They can block the rain when it rains lightly. If it really rains heavily, you still have to find a place to hide. Take the medicine as prescribed by the doctor. Take the medicine when you need it. Seek regular consultation when you need it. These small items just help you have an extra little hand to hold you in those moments when you suddenly become emotional and feel that you can't bear it any longer.

A few days ago, I was sorting through the guestbook of the previous aid station and saw what a child wrote: "I was scolded by the teacher at school today. I squatted in the corridor and touched the cold iron door of the fire hydrant for ten minutes. I took out the orange that my mother gave me in my pocket and peeled it and ate it. I smelled the orange peel and finally stopped crying in front of my classmates. ”You see, where is the need for anything particularly expensive? The touch and taste that make you feel better at that moment are the ones that are best for you.