Coping Skills for Everyone
Let's be real…
Life can be tough, overwhelming, challenging, and some days, it's hard to get up and face the world.
You may be feeling burnt out and stressed from your job. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one. You may be in that part of your life where you are raising kids and caring for your older family members. You may have experienced trauma when you were younger, and those experiences are still impacting you today.
There are so many other challenges you may be facing, like
Loneliness or a lack of connection
Financial strain
Divorce and co-parenting
Losing a job
Dealing with chronic or acute medical issues, etc.
And, as adults, it's rarely just one thing at a time. Often, you are dealing with multiple challenges all at once, like dealing with financial strain, grief, divorce, and burnout at work simultaneously.
Just because you're a grown-up doesn't mean you know how to COPe
You may not figured out how to manage your emotions and handle all the things you're facing in a healthy way.
Many people don't know what to do and turn to unhealthy ways to cope or spew their feelings onto others who happen to come into contact with them - strangers or friends and family.
As I give presentations online and in person worldwide, people repeatedly mention how adults need coping skills too. They talk about their angry colleagues, or they talk about themselves. “I could use a book on coping skills for me!” or "I don't think I have strong coping skills, haha!” They say it jokingly, but they mean it - they are looking for help.
The world can be challenging on a good day, and people everywhere experience difficult emotions. If you don't have ways to manage your feelings in safe and healthy ways, your adverse reactions will spill over into your interactions with people around you.
Having coping skills is beneficial for you and others around you
If you figure out your coping skills, then you'll be more likely to manage your feelings in a healthy way when faced with conflict, frustration, anger, or stress.
Conflict can arise partly because people have difficult emotions and can't manage them, so it spills onto thoughtless comments on social media, road rage, rudeness to waitstaff, short fuses with others, and much more. It's OK to be angry; it's not OK to attack others verbally or physically when you feel angry.
Figuring out strategies that work for you has an added bonus.
Using healthy and safe strategies can positively influence those around you.
Say, for example, your friend is struggling with anxiety, and you know of a great breathing technique. You teach it to them, and it works!! Then you've helped support someone else.
What strategies will work for you?
Emergency Strategies
When you are having those moments of panic, overwhelm, stress, anxiety, or anger, what are the things you can do in those moments to help yourself? It’s essential to have quick emergency strategies that you can use to quickly reset yourself and get back to your life.
Some emergency strategies could be:
Breathing activities like hand on heart, hand on belly breathing
Grounding activities focusing on objects around you, or looking for a particular color, or thinking of categories of ideas
Smelling a calming scent
Observing nature for a few minutes
Daily Coping skills
Engaging in daily activities is part of maintaining good mental health hygiene. Every day, we can do small things that can help us recharge, rest, and re-energize.
Listen to a playlist
Do a skin care routine
Listen to an episode of a podcast or an audiobook
Paint
Do a puzzle
Mindfulness through the day: use these prompts to pay attention to what’s happening in the present moment. What do you hear? What do you see? What do you smell? What do you feel?
Weekly Coping Skills
Weekly coping skills are strategies you do once a week, or every other week. These are things you do to help you rest, re-energize, and recharge.
Take a longer hike or walk with friends
Take an exercise class
Take a bubble bath
Reset your living space - putting things away, wiping down surfaces, vacuuming or mopping the floors.
Monthly Coping Skills
Monthly strategies are actions you take once a month to help you rest, reset, or connect with others.
Go on a coffee/lunch/dinner date with friends
Take a trip to the bookstore
Get a massage
Yearly Coping Skills
Strategies are actions you take yearly to help you rest, reset, or connect with others.
Adventure stay-cation
Vacation with friends or family
Solo weekend away
Not sure where to begin?
Use this brainstorming Sheet
Here’s a free download to help! The download includes:
Questions to get you thinking
A brainstorming sheet around your own coping skills
Get Adult Resources from the Store
Get support in the Coping Skills Hub
The Coping Skills Hub has everything you need to teach coping skills to kids and teens, as well as find your own strategies.
In the Hub, you will find…
A 12-week class that takes you through the step-by-step process to teach kids and teens coping skills - from connecting with kids to practicing and reviewing strategies so that kids use them when they need them!
Over 100 coping strategies for kids of all ages, from preschool to high school, each with a downloadable printable to encourage using coping skills at other times
Weekly audio practice to help kids, teens, and adults practice coping skills
Video library of webinars, classes, and mini expert lessons - available on demand
On-demand courses like Create Coping Skills Champions and Coping Skills for Teens with Anxiety
Games and Activities to playfully explore feelings and practice coping skills
All the resources you need to create a personalized toolkit for your child or teen and set up your home to encourage kids and teens to use coping skills when they need them
Coping Skills for Adults - an area where we as adults can explore and grow our own strategies
Resources for Mental Health Professionals - Lesson Plans, Treatment Plan Templates, and pre- and post-tests
available on iOS and Android as well, so you can use the Hub wherever you are
Get more information about the Hub
New resources are added monthly!