Coping Skills
This is something you can do with your breathing to calm your body when you feel overwhelmed.
What is taking deep/slow breaths?
You smile when you feel this
What is happy or excited?
This quality helps someone stay hopeful during a long recovery process
What is ...
- Optimism
- Hope
- Positive thinking
- Resilience
If you can’t find a word, you might do this instead of saying it.
- Describe the word
- Use gestures
- Write it down
This professional provides therapy to improve communication after a TBI.
Who is a speech-language pathologist?
Listening to this may improve your mood, help you relax, or bring back positive memories.
What is music
Your heart beats fast, and you feel worried.
What is Anxious / Nervous?
This strength means you keep trying even when something is difficult or frustrating.
What is...
- Perseverance
- Determination
- Grit
When someone talks too fast, and you don’t understand, you can…
- Ask them to slow down
- Ask them to repeat
- Request clarification
This kind of support comes from people who have gone through similar experiences.
What is...
- Peer support
- Support group
- Aphasia Group
You are trying to speak, but the words are not coming and you feel yourself getting tense. Name a strategy that could help you reset.
Pause, breathe, slow down, take a break, ask for extra time
You keep trying to complete a task, but it is not going the way you want. You may begin feeling this.
What is frustration?
Also acceptable: irritated, annoyed, discouraged
This strength allows someone to adjust when plans, routines, or abilities change
What is Resilience, Adaptability, Flexibility?
When reading or listening is hard, this strategy can help you focus on key words or pictures.
- Use visual cues
- Highlight keywords
- Look for context clues
Listening, encouraging, and giving someone time are examples of providing this to another person.
What is support?
Also acceptable: encouragement, being supportive
This long-term coping strategy involves setting small, realistic goals to build confidence over time.
What is ...
- Goal setting
- Planning
- Working step by step
After working hard toward a goal and seeing your progress, you may experience this positive feeling.
What is pride?
Also acceptable : accomplishment, confidence, satisfaction
This strength involves asking for help when you need it.
What is Confidence, Self-advocacy, Asking for help, Speaking up
This strategy gives your brain extra time to process what someone said before responding.
What is...
- Allowing processing time
- Waiting before answering
- Pausing/Taking a deep breath
Telling others what you need and speaking up for yourself is known as this.
What is self-advocacy?
Also acceptable: communication, speaking up for yourself
Before a stressful situation, you think about possible challenges and decide what you will do if they happen.
What is planning ahead?
preparation, proactive coping, making a plan
You notice that you’re tense, irritated, and having difficulty concentrating. These may be signs that you need this.
What is a reset?
- a break
- time to calm down
- a coping strategy
This strength means believing you can continue to improve over time.
What is Confidence, Belief in self, Growth mindset?
This involves telling others how they can help you communicate better.
What is?
- Self-advocacy
- Explaining needs
- Asking for support
- Communication
Family, friends, peers, and professionals who help you through difficult times make up this.
What is a support system?
Also acceptable: support network, social support