Coping stratgies
What is a coping strategy?
are things you do to help yourself calm down when you feel upset, stressed, or overwhelmed. They help your body and brain chill out so you can think clearly again.
Your friend doesn’t want to play the same game, and you feel rejected and snaps, “Whatever, I don’t care.” What are 3 alternatives that you can do/say instead?
1. I‑statement practice — “I feel left out when we don’t pick something together.”
2. Compromise skill — Suggest two options and let the friend choose.
3. Cooling‑off pause — Take 30 seconds before responding to reduce impulsive reactions.
What is perspective?
Understanding how someone else might be thinking or feeling. It’s realizing that other people see things differently than you do.
Your friend laughs while looking in your direction. How might you feel/think? How might they feel/think?
How YOU might feel:
- Embarrassed, Angry, Like they’re making fun of you
How THEY might feel:
- Laughing at a joke behind you
- Not thinking about you at all
- Just having fun
John get frustrated when he can’t solve a math problem and starts tapping loudly, breathing fast, and shutting down. What are 3 things John can do to cope?
1. Deep breathing reset — Take 5 slow breaths to reduce physical escalation.
2. Ask for a break
3. Chunking the task — Break the math problem into smaller steps with teacher support.
you forget your science project at home and panics, saying, “I’m going to fail!”, what are 3 solutions?
1. Immediate solution brainstorming — List options: call home, talk to the teacher, recreate part of it.
2. Catastrophe scale — Rate the problem 1–10 to reduce panic.
3. Future planning — Create a checklist for packing school materials.
You hear some kids laughing behind you and think, “They’re laughing at me.” What are some other things they might be laughing about?
1. They’re laughing at a joke
2.They didn’t notice you
3. Something happening behind you that has nothing to do with you.
Your sibling takes your stuff without asking. How might you feel? How may they feel?
How YOU might feel:
Frustrated
Disrespected
Protective of your things
How THEY might feel:
Wanted to use it
Forgot to ask
Didn’t think it was a big deal
you enter a crowded cafeteria and immediately feel anxious and overstimulated, What can you do to cope?
1. Noise‑reducing tools — Use headphones or sit in a quieter corner.
2. Grounding technique — Identify 5 things he sees, 4 he hears, etc.
3. Planned escape route — Take a 1–2 minute hallway break when needed.
Your group is doing a group project. Your group is arguing because everyone wants to do the project their own way, and no one is listening. What are some solutions?
Suggest roles — Divide the project so each person gets a part they’re good at.
Create a plan — Write down the steps and agree on them together.
Use a calm statement — “Let’s pick one idea and add pieces from everyone.”
Your mom or dad says, “We need to talk,” and you instantly think, “I’m in big trouble.” What are three possible reasons they might want to talk that aren’t about trouble?
1. They want to remind you about plans or schedules
2. They want to check in about how you’re feeling.
3. They want to talk about something that happened at home or school.
A friend doesn’t laugh at your joke. How might you feel? How might they feel?
How YOU might feel:
Embarrassed
Awkward
Worried they didn’t think it was funny
How THEY might feel:
Focused on something else
Didn’t hear the joke
Having a bad day
you're playing a video game and lose a game and throw the controller. What can you do to cope?
1. Pre‑set frustration rule — Pause the game for 2 minutes after losing.
2. Replacement behavior — Squeeze a stress ball instead of throwing objects.
3. Self‑talk script — “It’s just one round. I can try again.”
You Get Blamed for Something You Didn’t Do. What should you do?
1. stay calm
2. tell your side of the story
3. Ask the person why they said it/why they thing you did it
sometimes its just a misunderstanding
You send your friend a message, and they open it but don’t reply. You instantly think, “They’re ignoring me on purpose.” What are some other reasons they might not respond right away?
1. They might be busy and forgot to reply.
2. They might be thinking about what to say.
3. They might be dealing with something stressful and can’t talk yet.
You message your friend something important, and they reply with just “ok.” You suddenly feel something strong but aren’t sure what it is. What emotion might you be feeling, and what emotion might THEY be feeling?
You might be feeling: Hurt, Annoyed, Worried they’re upset
They might be feeling:
Busy
Distracted
Tired