Adjective Focus

Last night, I felt The Sadness blooming inside of me and I needed to challenge myself to overcome it. I used a coping method that I learned while I was in treatment, which was very effective for the moment, and today I realized that I need to share it with you.

When you describe an object, your brain is searching for suitable adjectives, usually in a non-emotional way. My first instinct is to describe colors, then I go to height and shape. Do not use judgmental descriptions; choose objects that have no sentimentality to you. This technique is most useful when you are traveling or in a place with many objects.
I'll share an example of a car ride home:
"That sign is yellow. That sign is triangular. That light is red. That light post is tall. That building is gray. That car is blue. That car is silver. Those tail lights are red. That curb is yellow."
Just describe things one after another (without overwhelming yourself), breathe deeply, and focus on directing your brain to gather factual knowledge rather than running haphazardly about emotional ideas.

Look at the image below. How many (non-emotional) descriptions can you come up with?

For me, intense sadness often stems from misinterpreted incidents in my mind, so focusing on unrelated facts helps me "lasso" the emotions so that I can calm myself down to reason. Don't worry if people think you're crazy for "zoning out" or listing adjectives randomly. It's only until you can get balanced, and really--Everyone is crazy in their own way. ^_^ I hope that you find this "descriptions technique" useful for you.