Spiraling thoughts are liars. If you need a great resource for grounding techniques, breathing techniques, or other techniques to get through a spiral, or even short-circuit the spiral before it gets to a crescendo, there are some below.
I started with these worksheets during Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Browse them at your leisure. Choose which ones you think will be most helpful for each of your main spirals. For instance, if you struggle with regulating your emotions, you might use the Emotional Regulation worksheet. This is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done. It's to log your emotions to see what events trigger your emotions to dysregulate so you can avoid those things, or seek more guidance on how to deal with or cope with those triggers.
Disclaimer: I am not a therapist. Please consult a licensed and accredited therapist to help you through your mental health struggles. These tools are NOT designed to replace a therapist. These are to be used in conjunction with your therapist, and should be shared with your mental health team so they can guide you to the worksheets you need for different issues or spirals.
If you cannot afford a therapist, check this resource (USA) to see if you can find financial aid for therapy, or if you can find a therapist who can work with you financially.
And if you or your loved one experiences a spiral with thoughts of hurting yourself/themselves or others, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988 (USA). If you are not in the USA, here is a list of suicide prevention hotlines around the world.
These tools are not a replacement for therapy.
