Negative or Positive
Is this a negative or positive coping skill:
- Hitting, kicking, pinching
Explain the reasons behind your answer.
No!
It does not help you solve any problems. You might hurt yourself or someone else. People may not feel safe around you.
Bill is asked to clean his room by his parents. He tells his parents he does not want to. The parents ask him to clean his room one more time. Bill begins to yell at his parents and yell, "Leave me alone!" and bangs on the table.
What emotion is this?
The emotion being shown is anger.
Mary's brother promised to come visit her on Friday night. On Friday night, he never showed up! Mary begins to cry and can't stop frowning.
Do you think Mary needs to cope with this situation? If you say yes, what skill do you suggest she use?
Yes, she should cope with this situation. She is feeling really sad.
She can count to 10 to calm down and then talk to her mom about it.
Who are people that you can talk to who might help you cope?
Your family, friends, boyfriend/girlfriends, staff members, or behaviorists.
True or False:
It is never okay to feel mad, angry, or sad.
False!
You can feel all emotions. It's all about how you deal with those emotions. You are a human and we feel a lot of emotions. That's okay!
Is this a negative or positive coping skill:
- Take 3 big, deep breaths.
Explain the reasons behind your answer.
Positive!
It can give you a second to stop and think about what to do. It can help calm your body down.
Mary's brother promised to come visit her on Friday night. On Friday night, he never showed up! Mary begins to cry and can't stop frowning.
What emotion do you think Mary is feeling?
Mary is feeling sad or upset.
Your sister is making so much noise in the living room. You can hear it from your room and you're trying to take a nap. You asked her to stop and she didn't. You feel like yelling and cursing your sister.
Do you think you need to cope with this? If yes, what skill can you use?
Yes, I think we should cope with this situation. You are getting really angry.
Ask a family member to help talk to your sister. And, you should cope by taking a couple of deep breaths.
Show us what it looks like to take 3 deep breaths.
*Show us*
True or False:
Taking deep breaths is a good coping skill.
True.
It can help you relax and take a moment to think.
Is this a negative or positive coping skill:
- Reading a book or listening to a story.
Explain the reasons behind your answer.
Reading a book or listening to a story is a positive coping skill.
It helps you relax because you start thinking about something besides what you are upset about.
Barry comes home from day program. Barry starts to tell you about how someone complimented his hair. You see him smiling.
What emotion do you think Barry feels?
Barry is feeling happy. We can tell because he has a smile on his face.
John said good morning to his friend. They said, "Talk to the hand! I don't want to talk to you!" John yells at them because this upsets him.
Did John handle the situation well? What could he have done differently? Is there a coping skill he could have used instead?
No, John could've handled the situation differently.
John could have expressed this feeling better and he shouldn't have yelled.
Any appropriate coping skills will be a correct answer. (EX: Talking to a staff member or behaviorist about what just happened and explain to the staff that it upset you)
What does it mean to cope?
It means to deal with a problem in a safe and healthy way!
True or False:
It's never okay to tell people why you are upset and need help. They are busy people. Explain your answer.
False
It is always okay to talk about how you're feeling, positive or negative. If you need to interrupt a conversation, you can always say excuse me or raise your hand.
Is this a negative or positive coping skill:
- Stealing.
Explain the reasons behind your answer.
This is a bad coping skill!
It is doesn't belong to you. It can get you in trouble. We would not like anyone to steal from us.
Sally is new a client at day program. She does not know anyone there. She begins asking her mom a lot of questions like, "where do I put my lunchbox?" "What if nobody likes me there?" "What if no one wants to sit next to me?" With a worried, nervous look on her face.
What emotion is she showing?
Sally is showing that she is showing that she is scared or anxious.
Timmy's room is A MESS! He's really stressed about it because it's SO MESSY and he doesn't know where to start! His staff said they can't go to mall today unless he finished cleaning his room. Timmy thinks he is going to be punished.
Do you think that Timmy needs to cope with this? What should he do?
First, Timmy should talk about his worries of being punished and gets some reassurance.
Then, he should do some quick coping skills: Timmy can take some deep breaths, he can count to ten, or he can listen to music while he cleans to keep calm!
Lastly, Timmy should clean his room so he can go enjoy an outing to the mall where he can have lunch with staff.
When do you use coping skills?
You need coping skills when you have a problem or are feeling a negative emotion like anger, sadness, anxiety.
True or False:
People can only use one coping skill at a time. Explain your answer.
False.
A person can have a whole list of skills they can use whenever. The same skill may not be helpful for each situation or you may not be able to use the same skill all the time. Or, you might not feel like using the same one.
Is this a negative or positive coping skill:
- Repeatedly calling or texting someone.
Explain the reasons behind your answer.
This is bad.
Just because you have a phone, doesn't mean you're always free to talk. A person might be busy. You can hurt their feelings from not respecting their boundary. Or, you can get them in trouble for being on their phone when they are not supposed to.
Jack is a new client at day program. He is sitting at his table all by himself and has no one to talk to. He crosses his arms, puts his head down, only faces the wall, and says he misses his mother.
What emotion is he feeling?
Jack is feeling lonely.
Bonus question: What can we do to help Jack feel less lonely?
Michael is at the movies and bought a ticket. Then, he wants to buy popcorn, candy, and a soda. He looks in his wallet, and doesn't have enough money.
Does Michael need to cope? What should he do?
Maybe! It depends on the person. Some people might be okay just putting something back!
So, Michael can count his money and see what he has enough money to buy. He can just put something back and tell the cashier he didn't have enough money for it.
If Michael is upset, then he can tell the group home staff. He can figure out another time he can buy the thing he put back.
Can coping skills make your life better. Why or why not?
Coping skills are utilized to help you solve a problem in a safe and healthy way. It helps solve the problem, instead of making it worse.
True or False:
Hitting others, kicking others, and yelling at others when you are angry or upset is not a good coping skill. Explain your answer.
True.
If you hit, kick, or yell at somebody, you could hurt their body and/or hurt their feelings. It might make the problem worse.