Definitions
State of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.
What is stress?
What makes something a healthy coping skill?
It helps you calm down and be able to handle a stressful/triggering situation.
Are unhealthy coping mechanisms always bad?
No. They aren't always bad at first but can get worse over time.
You can only use one coping skill for a problem.
False! The coping skills that help people are different for each person. Sometimes you have to try a couple to see which is the right fit for you.
Tactics people use to deal with stressful situations.
What are coping skills?
Name 3 healthy coping skills that you use.
Yay!
Why do we choose unhealthy coping skills?
They provide short term relief.
Positive coping skills can be fun.
True! Things like playing games with friends, playing video games, dancing, and watching TV can be fun!
Tools that help improve mental wellbeing and reduce stress.
What are healthy coping skills?
Are both healthy and unhealthy coping skills learned or are we born knowing them?
They are learned behaviors.
At what point does a coping mechanism become unhealthy (if it was already)?
When you are doing it most of the time, more than any other coping skill, and it only helps in the moment.
You can choose whether or not to use a negative or positive coping skill.
True! Sometimes it is hard to make a healthy choice but the type of coping skill we us is our decision to make!
Behaviors that attempt to reduce stress short-term but do not always seek to resolve the problem.
What are unhealthy coping mechanisms?
We have heard the saying laughter is the best medicine. Is there any truth to this?
Yes. Laughter reduces cortisol levels in the body, boosts your immune system, and can reduce the decrease physical pain.
When unhealthy coping mechanisms become our automatic default response to stressors they become what?
What are bad habits?
If you use a negative coping skill you are a bad/mean/etc, person.
False! Good people sometimes use bad coping skills.
The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties.
What is resilience?
What are processing skills and how do they help us?
Processing skills are skills used to understand our triggers, emotions, and reactions. They help us find patterns in our thoughts and behaviors which can help us prevent similar experiences in the future.
What is something you can do to fix the situation after you have used an unhealthy coping mechanism?
Examples: do something positive or healthy, say sorry, take responsibility for your actions.
Crying is a negative coping skill.
False! Crying helps us get our feelings out and does not make problems worse. It's a healthy way of letting our sadness out.