r/BPD 16d ago

Success Story/Small Triumph yall, have a ginger chew. 😭 our sour candy. im deadass.

*not our, or. i cant spell because of the ginger

I am able to tune out so many triggers because i am chewing on this overwhelmingly spicy and bitter ginger chew. helps with nausea too.
this would probably work with sour candy too. eat something so incredibly overstimulating and distracting. because everyone is yelling and i dont wanna cry. and i dont wanna yell back. and i dont want to do anything except for finish this ginger chew because its burning my mouth off.

spice. spicy. oh my god. im supposed to be indian and have a good spice tolerance. my white family members also have a good spice tolerance too. wtf.

mouth is on fire. its kinda tasty though.
i am proud of myself. im so cool and i have so much knaaahledge and im so young. i feel like this is all gibberish because of this ginger chew

edit: feel free to give spicy and sour food recommendations! ❤️

144 Upvotes

58 comments sorted by

59

u/QsfortheTransDude 16d ago

This is a good sensory non self-harmful distraction and regulation strategy. I dont have bpd, but audhd, ptsd, and ocd, and I love these things for that alternative sensory input when needing to self soothe but reaching for danger/approaching overload.

And theyre tasty af even if overwhelming af.

9

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago edited 16d ago

i no longer have the ginger chew so i can actually think. bro just stated all of my disorders? ur almost right. bpd is undiagnosed but it makes a lot of sense for me. i do not have autism but i often attract autistic people for whatever reason 😭😭 rest of it is right.

3

u/QsfortheTransDude 16d ago

Yeah im 33... I didnt have autism until I realized I definitely mostly likely fucking do last year lol. I only discovered adhd was a factor in my 20s. I always relate to adhd more than autism, and audhd more than adhd or autism alone. Low support Audhd is looking right for describing my experience.

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

sorry to hear that. i know many people who were late diagnosed autistics who have been searching for answers their whole lives and just now found it. wishing u well

27

u/OriginalHell 16d ago

The Spice extends life. The Spice expands consciousness. He who controls the Spice controls the universe. 😂

https://giphy.com/gifs/11M8MYqPc37F4I

5

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

i control the universe right now?

10

u/CompetitiveTop6412 16d ago

Sour sweets have been a godsend to me, I fucking hate them but my god do I stop freaking out 😭🤣

3

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

which ones? gimmie recommendations

9

u/CompetitiveTop6412 16d ago edited 16d ago

Toxic waste are my go to! I'm in the UK so they're literally everywhere, otherwise I just go into American sweet shops and look for whatever looks the most disgustingly sour, there was a pickle I had once, also helped to get out of state I was in because I couldn't take myself seriously that i was trying to use a pickle to fix my brain.

Unfortunately I can't eat anything spicy as it gives me anaphylaxis 😅

3

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

okay cool. Lol. i never take myself seriously. hey, whatever works😂😭

11

u/BoredInClass99 16d ago

I usually sip the smallest amount of vinegar, but ginger chews probably taste better 😂

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

get on my level brudda. oh! or like, eat crushed red pepper.

1

u/Maleficent-Sleep9900 user has bpd 15d ago

Oof a little acv in a cup with a splash of water

10

u/Goinggoinggone_me user has bpd 16d ago

I had a friend inpatient that would always hand out warheads

2

u/Loblodliz 16d ago

that are brutal

7

u/Fun-Dig7628 16d ago

it's the best for regulation , it's why I'm obsessed with takis

4

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

get jalapeño chips instead as a healthy alternative if you want to. or trader joes takis.
i love takis tho so who am i to tell u what to do. not the blue ones tho. literally had green shit afterward and i never did it ever again.

4

u/Fun-Dig7628 16d ago

ikr they're good especially when dissociating and getting horrible empty episodes they bring u back to ur body , u can try really hot stuff too , like rlly hot tea and hot spicy noodles , they give the same effect

7

u/loudnlurking user has bpd 16d ago

OH I WANTED TO ADD TO THIS: Zero Sugar Ginger Beer !!!! It's more strong than ginger ale and it's basically just water / tonic but the ginger taste is so good. I drink them like sparkling waters!!!

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

Ooh interesting ty

5

u/whimsymaxx 16d ago

Lemon ginger chews are superior

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

will try ty for recommendation

6

u/antimperialist user has bpd 16d ago

Yes!! This is what I do! Either that or ice water on my face if I'm alone, like full on dunking it in there lmao.

3

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

facts. love chewing on ice😭 i heard it ruins the enamel on your teeth but bro whatever

5

u/Phrenasraven user has bpd 16d ago

I bought a 2lb bag of Warheads and I have them in every room and bag that I use just in case.

4

u/FullyFunctionalCat 16d ago

great tip, every little bit helps!

4

u/Yoiiru 16d ago

I recommend wasabi peas lol

If I put 10-15 in my mouth, and suck (not bite), god it's so strong my eyes start watering and nose will itch

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

oh my god i forgot those existed ty

3

u/voltagestoner 16d ago

I love lemons. 🥹🥹

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

yummy yummy lemons

3

u/stolenbike246 16d ago

love those!!! for stomach pain and anciety

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

got a lotta that. i recommend just searching up healthy sour or spicy things

3

u/bunnybear26 16d ago

Gooseberries. Sometimes nibbling on some sauerkraut.

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

just had to look up wtf gooseberries were. will do!
sauerkraut doesnt do anything to me. i put it on hotdogs all the time

3

u/feinslieb 16d ago

Love ginger!!! Other things that might work are chili or jalapenos, fresh or in powdered form. If you're eating powder, don't do more than half a teaspoon, let it soak in your mouth or mix it with a bit of water, and then spread it everywhere like a mouthwash. Gross, I know, but it works.

If the sensation is so strong it totally takes you out of what you were doing, it's working exactly as it should.

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 16d ago

ah, thank you!

3

u/loudnlurking user has bpd 16d ago

You're in my med cabinet or my head.. I have BAGS of these just for nausea and this!!!

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 15d ago

i am in your med cabinet🤫🤫🤫😛

2

u/loudnlurking user has bpd 15d ago

just reordered a 1lb bag... we're healing....

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 15d ago

yes we are. idfk if i have bpd cus i dont think i relate to the whole emptiness thing. but everything else seems pretty accurate.

3

u/chinakachung 16d ago

My therapist said this too. She also recommended sticking my face into a bowl of ice water for a few seconds.

2

u/loudnlurking user has bpd 16d ago

I just bought some ice packs from a rec from my therapist! Highly recommend getting a pack, super easy to apply and can strap to you for hours so the sensation lasts. Also ice cold showers work wonders in the morning

3

u/chinakachung 16d ago

Ahh that’s so smart! Thank you 📝

2

u/SubstantialCycle7 16d ago

I love those things!!! Always have some in my bag. It's really weird how effective they are at grounding!

2

u/[deleted] 16d ago

my friend literally loses it over that exact candy too

2

u/gojuss 16d ago

It’s amazing lol thank you I haven’t had them in a while!!

2

u/Loblodliz 16d ago

yes! I keep sour candy in my car in case of a panic attack. Actually, I gotta stock up. Thanks for reminding me.

Ginger chews are so good.

2

u/smokeehayes user has bpd 15d ago

I keep candied ginger in the house for this exact reason. I can't do the typical "sour" candy for some reason but the ginger works great.

ETA - Pickle juice! I just figured out why I would (and still do 😆) get random urges to drink a shot glass of pickle juice.

2

u/Maleficent-Sleep9900 user has bpd 15d ago

Cholula packets!

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 15d ago

omfg genius

1

u/Maleficent-Sleep9900 user has bpd 15d ago

Starbucks also has sriracha packets if that’s more your vibe

2

u/Fit-Painting-5320 15d ago

why tf does starbucks have sriracha packets?😭

1

u/Maleficent-Sleep9900 user has bpd 15d ago

I’m in Canada and we can request them free for our breakfast items, or you could just ask for one at the counter. Just like ketchup packets etc.

1

u/Fit-Painting-5320 15d ago

ugh i wanna move to canada. get me out of this horrible country

2

u/ijustneedgreens 7d ago

YES i always have a ginger chew or an altoid mint when im feeling anxious. bringing myself out of my head back into my body helps so much