Does curling up on my bed and hugging my Blåhaj count?

Sounds exceptionally effective!

I will often turn to my spouse for cuddles and affirmations but as he's a human being and not just a cuddle machine, sometimes I am left to my own devices:

• curl up in bed, in the dark, heavy blankets. I was supposed to find that hugging a stuffed animal was comforting on occasion. There is nothing wrong with doing that, it was just never my instinct?

• certain foods distract me from pain in my body, or soothe the pain, idk but it helps.

• certain textures are very comforting. Some objects sold as fidget or stim toys have these textures. Sometimes I'll just hold one in my hand and feel the distress melt away.

Poor financial decisions.

Curl up in bed with my baby blanket, Vaporeon plushie and with my cat

I have found that if I want my needs to be met, I have to ask for my needs to be met and i have to say exactly what I am looking for. The hardest part of my getting here was actually understanding what my needs are, knowing what will help get them met, and separating that from the feelings I have about my unmet needs.

If I feel like I need a hug and no-one is around, I will give myself a very tight hug, grabbing both my shoulders with opposite hands and pulling them tightly forward.

If I am looking for verbal affirmation, I will tell my husband what I specifically want to hear, he will repeat it back to me but this also helps him know what I am looking for exactly so he will also provide support around that.

Sometimes, nothing can be done and the only thing I can so is wait out what ever feeling I am having, on days like that, I put on a comfort TV show (Futurama or TNG) and I go to bed early, even if its like 2:00PM.

I'm in my mid 30s and I'm not ashamed to admit that I still have a stuffed animal that I hug

Edit. So happy to see I'm not alone in this 🥲

I pull back from whatever is causing the discomfort and figure out my new relationship with it.

Hug my pups

Get into the comfy bed, get some snacks and tea, and play some cozy games or watch anime on tv (i have a cheap dumb tv connected to pc).

I go to the library

Books are my safe space. I have been going to the library as an escape for as long as I can remember.

Thrift shopping.