What is a healthy coping skill that can help you relax?
What are the benefits of unhealthy coping skills?
short term relief from negative feelings.
Coping skills are only used to help you relax. Why or why not?
False,
Managing your stress, anxiety, and/or depression is not always relaxing. exercise is a great healthy coping skill and is not necessarily relaxing although it results in the relief of negative symptoms.
You are sitting in class working and notice someone is tapping their pencil really loud.
Yes!
Why are coping skills helpful?
Helps you learn how to handle your emotions
What can you do when you are overwhelmed with school work?
What is an healthy coping skill you could replace with a unhealthy coping skill?
A helpful way to stop negative feelings is to distract yourself with coping skills.
True
You just finished a test that was draining and more difficult than you expected.
Yes!
Who can benefit from using coping skills? AND When should they be used?
Everyone! All the time!
What is a healthy coping skill you have used this week?
What is an unhealthy coping skill you use or have used in the past?
Coping skills are only needed when you're struggling with negative emotions.
False
Your little brother is running around and unplugs the video game by accident while you are in the middle of a game.
Yes!
What are some coping skills you use or would like to try using?
walking
coloring
taking a break
deep breathing
What is a healthy coping skill to use when you're feeling lonely and isolated?
What is the difference between an unhealthy coping skill and a healthy coping skill? Extra points for examples of each!
They are both coping skills and therefore alleviate your negative feelings, however, the difference is...
Unhealthy Coping Skills only help to relieve your depression, anxiety, or stress while you're doing it or for the short term and may have negative impacts if used too often. (examples- substance use, self-harm, overeating, bullying or harming others, or too much screen time.)
Healthy Coping Skills help relieve your depression, anxiety, or stress for the longer and may have long-term benefits. (examples- exercise, finding hobbies and interests, being outside, walking, communicating your feelings to yourself and others, mindfulness practices.)
It's important to have lots of coping tools in your "toolbox" to pull from.
False. You don't need lots, just a few that are effective for you.
Summer break is coming to an end and you're feeling anxious about school starting back up.
Yes!
what makes something a "coping skill?"
If it helps you calm down to be able to handle a stressful situation.
What is a mindfulness practice that can help you calm your body and mind?
belly breathing or deep breaths, meditation, body scans, etc.
When does watching tv, scrolling social media, sleeping, etc become an unhealthy coping tool, AND why?
When you are doing it all the time or more than any other coping skills
Because it does not help relieve your depression, anxiety, or stress long term; it only helps in the moment.
It is important to not use unhealthy coping skills
False
You don't have anxiety or depression and things are going really well for you right now.
Yes!
What are the 4 categories of coping skills or self-care?
1) Before- coping skills to help you prepare for or prevent negative feelings (ex. grounding tools, breathing, identifying potential triggers)
2) During- coping skills to help you regulate your emotions while you are experiencing something that triggers your negative emotions (ex. breathing, drinking water, taking breaks, walking)
3) Right After- coping skills that help you to calm down or regulate after you have experienced something that triggers you (ex. physical movement, grounding tools, body scans, mindfulness practices, talking to a support person, music)
4) Ongoing/Regular- coping skills or self-care practices that help you to relax and regulate your emotions long-term (ex. meaningful activities that you enjoy, spending time with your support people, having time to yourself, sleeping well, exercise, mindfulness practices)