I recently got into making desserts. I end up with something I can be proud of, get to share sweets with my friends & family and satisfy my sweet tooth all at once. With $10 worth of ingredients and zero experience you can whip up a basic batch of fudge in less than 15 minutes and put pretty much anything else you want into there.
I can relate. I’m a huge fan of public transportation. I love exploring different places using a public train. One of the things that I liked doing with public transportation was to intentionally make myself get lost.
I was once robbed on a public train from Jakarta on my way home to Tangerang after visiting my friend. Since then, I’ve become more careful not to take a public train to places that seem dangerous or unsafe.
Toons. Vidya games. Choons. I guess card games on computers too. Old electronics. Going outside and touching grass. Simping over Europe (as a Moroccan who despises Morocco). Sleeping. Collecting literally anything I could think of. Ponies no, I abandoned those long ago.
Talk to a stranger. At the park, at the bus stop, at the dog park. Doesn't matter what we talk about, it just feels good to connect and it takes my mind off my own bullshit.
Depending on the situation. Simplified, obviously:
If I can actively do something about it immediately or soon enough “<myname>, you know, you can do it and it will really help you”.
If it is more on emotional basis“<myname>, I love you / you are important / I know it hurts / I understand — what would you like to do?” saying this type of stuff often and since I can remember, made me respond automatically, whether it is something simple like “I would really like to have an almond ice cream today” or “I am watching the movie tonight / going for a walk” etc or more advanced like “I will do X, Y and Z — in this order”. Having a self-checkup as a tool is really helpful.
If it is a more complex situation — firstly comes a quick energy level check, followed by looking for the simplest part of the problem as a hook to get the ball rolling or a solid rest (passive or active) to restart the system.
If it is a really overwhelming / prolonged thing, any form of contact / consultation, either with partner, family, friend or a professional.