Name That Feeling
Name three ways stress can show up in your body.
Examples include muscle tension, racing heart, sweating, stomach discomfort, headache, restlessness, shallow breathing, or fatigue.
Name two coping skills that can help calm your body.
Examples: deep breathing, grounding, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, stretching, or pausing.
You notice yourself getting irritated during a conversation and feel the urge to snap at someone. What could you do before responding?
Pause, breathe, notice the emotion/urge, take space if appropriate, and choose how you want to respond.
“I made one mistake, so I'm terrible at this.” What type of thinking does this sound like?
All-or-nothing thinking/overgeneralization.
Which matters more for building a habit: doing something perfectly or returning to it consistently?
Returning to it consistently.
Someone becomes unusually quiet, stops responding to messages, and stays in bed when overwhelmed. What might these behaviors be communicating?
They may be signs of emotional overwhelm, withdrawal, avoidance, low mood, or a need for rest/support. More than one answer can be appropriate.
What is one healthy way to get a temporary break from overwhelming thoughts?
Examples: music, brief distraction, changing environments, creative activity, mindfulness, or taking a planned break.
You have several things to complete and become so overwhelmed that you start avoiding all of them. What could you do?
Calm yourself first if needed, identify one manageable task, break it into a smaller step, make a short plan, or ask for support.
Reframe: “I should be able to handle everything by myself.”
Example: “It's okay to need support. Asking for help can be part of handling the situation.”
Name one reason asking for help can be considered a coping skill.
Support can provide connection, perspective, assistance, accountability, safety, or help managing something that is difficult to handle alone.
What is the difference between an emotion and an urge?
An emotion is what you feel; an urge is what you feel pulled to do in response to that emotion.
True or false: If a coping skill doesn't make the emotion disappear, it didn't work.
False. A skill can help reduce intensity, prevent an impulsive reaction, increase tolerance, or help you function even when the emotion remains.
Someone you care about doesn't respond to your message. You immediately want to send an angry text and block them. What could you do first?
Pause before acting, identify the underlying emotion, challenge assumptions, use a coping skill, and wait until emotional intensity decreases before deciding how to respond.
What is problematic about the thought, “If I can't do it perfectly, there's no point doing it”?
It creates an all-or-nothing standard that can contribute to avoidance, procrastination, giving up, and overlooking partial progress.
What's the difference between taking a healthy break and avoidance?
A healthy break is intentional and temporary, with the intention of returning when able. Avoidance repeatedly moves away from something that needs to be addressed.
Someone says, “I'm fine,” but they are clenching their jaw, speaking quickly, and cannot sit still. What information might their body be giving them?
Their body may be showing stress, anxiety, anger, or emotional activation even if they have not identified the emotion yet.
You try deep breathing but are still overwhelmed. What should you do next?
Try another appropriate strategy, combine skills, change the environment, seek support, or address the problem directly when able.
You've had a difficult day and feel yourself wanting to return to an old coping behavior that usually creates more problems afterward. What are three things you could do before acting on the urge?
Identify the trigger/feeling, identify the need, choose a replacement coping skill, delay the behavior, change environments, or reach out for support.
Reframe: “Nothing ever works for me.”
Example: “What I've tried hasn't worked the way I hoped yet. I may need a different approach or additional support.”
What should you ask yourself after a setback instead of “What's wrong with me?”
Examples: “What happened?” “What did I need?” “What got in the way?” and “What can I try next?”
Why can naming an emotion help before choosing a coping skill?
Identifying what is happening can help you understand what you need and choose a response that better fits the situation.
Why might the same coping skill work one day but not another?
Different emotions, needs, stress levels, environments, and situations may require different responses.
You wake up anxious, miss something important, argue with someone, and think, “Forget it. Today is already ruined.” Walk us through how you could keep one bad morning from becoming an entire bad day.
Notice the all-or-nothing thought, pause/regulate, reframe the thought, determine what you need, choose one manageable next action, and continue from there rather than abandoning the day.
Someone misses two days of a healthy routine and thinks, “I knew I couldn't stick with it.” Challenge the thought and identify a healthier next action.
Example: “Missing two days doesn't erase the days I followed through.” The next action is to restart with a manageable step rather than waiting for a perfect restart.
Someone says, “I know a ton of coping skills. I just don't use them when I'm actually upset.” What could help close the gap between knowing and doing?
Practicing skills when calm, noticing early warning signs, keeping coping options accessible, creating reminders/plans, starting before distress becomes extreme, and repeatedly practicing the skills.