The Mechanic

Headcanon # 1

The trick for Blue to keep these memories and thoughts out of his head is a bit like, (if not exactly, just replace the words) like Dr. Banner's situation - his way of staying sane, well, Dr. Banner, is to always be angry - that's the secret. 

With Tony here, as said, is almost exactly the same. Blue keeps things involving the attack on New York City, the capture and torture he put up with in Afghanistan, the threat of dying slowly from Blood Toxicity - he keeps it all in the back of his mind by focusing on other tasks like creating mechanisms, more suits, just building and creating. It's a bit like 'tug-o-war' (I believe that's what it's called), and he's simply attempting to not fall into the water, the mud... the depths and darkness - the abyss of his mind. Ah, the abyss - how ironic that he has one in his head and it contains yet another crevasse, which... it simply goes on forever. 

So he keeps himself focused on other things, he pushes mostly everyone away, he hasn't talked to Pepper for a few months - for he fears that she'll be hurt again. The brunet remembers how his last thought, or at least his last attempt of doing anything as he was entering and in the wormhole - but that doesn't really matter at the moment.

So, all in all, he copes with it but layering his thoughts of creativity over his memories and fears, but they just keep on adding up, and when the bottle fills up, well, let's say that another one is emptied - or at least a little.