Coping Skills
This deep breathing technique involves inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding again for 4.
What is box breathing?
This type of listening requires focusing fully, asking clarifying questions, and not interrupting.
What is active listening?
This is when someone tries to control, belittle, or harm another person in a relationship.
What is abuse?
This is the practice of setting aside time for activities that recharge your mental, emotional, or physical energy.
What is self-care?
This word describes events, people, or situations that cause a strong emotional or behavioral reaction.
What is a trigger?
This grounding method uses your senses to name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique?
This skill means responding in a way that shows you understand another person’s feelings, even if you don’t agree.
What is empathy?
This type of communication is confident, respectful, and direct without being aggressive.
What is assertive communication?
This is the minimum recommended hours of sleep most teens need each night.
What is 8–10 hours?
This type of warning sign for relapse might include feeling irritable, withdrawing socially, or skipping meals.
What are emotional warning signs?
These small actions, like listening to music or doodling, help shift attention away from distress.
What are distraction coping skills?
This goal-setting approach makes objectives Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
What are SMART goals?
This skill involves repeating back what someone said in your own words to confirm understanding.
What is paraphrasing?
Drinking enough of this each day helps with mood regulation, focus, and physical health.
What is water?
This is the first step to managing triggers in recovery.
What is identifying them?
This DBT skill teaches you to tolerate distress without making the situation worse
What is distress tolerance?
This group activity uses acting without words to help peers guess different emotions.
What is emotion charades?
This is the invisible barrier that helps protect your emotional and physical space.
What are personal boundaries?
This practice at bedtime — like dimming lights, limiting screens, and keeping a routine — helps with better sleep.
What is good sleep hygiene?
These are positive actions you take after a triggering event to prevent escalation.
What are coping strategies?
This quick skill can help someone reduce muscle tension by tensing and releasing each body part from head to toe.
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
This term refers to thoughts like “I’ll never get better” that distort reality and fuel negative emotions.
What are cognitive distortions?
This unhealthy habit in relationships involves expecting someone else to fix all your problems.
What is codependency?
This phrase describes the ability to bounce back from challenges and adapt to change.
What is resilience?
In safety planning, this refers to people you can contact when you feel unsafe or overwhelmed.
What is a support network?