My loved one reduces to tears pretty quickly over everything and nothing these days. But when things are bad, there is one thing that snaps her back to her baseline–a car drive.
Within 60 seconds of driving she snaps out of whatever psychological state she is in. I think part of it is the movement affects the vestibular part of her brain. Getting outdoors helps her to feel less cooped up. And going somewhere, anywhere, makes her feel like she’s changing her situation.
So we drive. And drive. And drive. Tens of thousands of miles. Round and round in the county or whatever an hour or two away can take us.
It works. It’s expensive. But maybe somebody else’s loved will feel the same way.
So if in doubt and your loved one is in melt-down, take them on a drive.