Coping Skills
Actions used to support our mind and body (ex. sleep, nutrition, exercise)
What is self-care?
Myth: “Stress is always bad for you.”
In reality, this type of stress can improve performance, focus, and motivation.
What is eustress?
This is the most common mental health concern experienced by university students.
What is stress and anxiety?
This term refers to your belief in your own ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish tasks.
What is self-efficacy?
People with this disorder experience intrusive thoughts and feel compelled to perform repetitive behaviors or rituals to reduce anxiety.
What is OCD?
This coping strategy involves breaking a large, overwhelming task into smaller, manageable steps to reduce anxiety and increase motivation.
What is task chunking (breaking tasks into smaller steps?)
Myth: “People with anxiety should always avoid stressful situations.”
In reality, avoidance strengthens anxiety through this behavioral reinforcement mechanism.
What is negative reinforcement?
The neurotransmitter most associated with reward and motivation.
What is dopamine?
These are quick, involuntary thoughts that pop into your mind, often influencing your mood before you even realize it.
What are automatic thoughts?
This disorder involves sudden, brief episodes of sleep or muscle weakness triggered by strong emotions, often laughter, in otherwise healthy individuals.
What is narcolepsy?
SMART goals stand for
What is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Bound?
Myth: “If you can’t see someone’s symptoms, they aren’t struggling.”
This myth ignores the reality that many mental health conditions are considered this type of illness.
What are hidden or invisible illnesses?
University students experience their highest prevalence of mental health symptoms during this academic period.
What is midterm/exam season?
This positive psychology concept refers to engaging fully in an activity, losing track of time, and experiencing deep enjoyment and focus.
What is FLOW?
This disorder involves detachment from reality, memory gaps, or adoption of alternate identities, often linked to severe trauma in early life.
What is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?
This advanced CBT technique involves repeated exposure to a fear without avoidant behaviors until the emotional response decreases over time.
What is exposure therapy?
Myth: “Pulling all-nighters and studying for hours without sleep helps you remember more for exams.”
In reality, skipping sleep disrupts the brain process that strengthens learning, especially during this stage.
Chronic lack of sleep, high stress, and academic pressure can impair the brain’s ability to regulate emotions because this part of the brain becomes overactive when you're overwhelmed.
What is the amygdala?
This term refers to the mismatch between how much control someone thinks they have versus how much control they actually have, often shaping anxiety and stress responses.
What is locus of control?
This disorder involves the belief that someone close to you (like a family member or partner) has been replaced by an identical imposter, leading to paranoia and distress.
What is Capgras Delusion?
This advanced DBT coping skill teaches individuals to tolerate distress by accepting a situation without approving of it.
What is radical acceptance?
Myth: “You can catch up on sleep debt in just a night or two.”
In reality, while you may feel temporarily refreshed, full cognitive recovery from accumulated sleep debt can take this surprisingly long amount of time.
What is about a month to fully recover from sleep debt?
Chronic stress doesn’t just change mood — it can physically shrink this specific part of the brain due to prolonged exposure to cortisol.
What is the hippocampus?
A persistent pattern of negative self-talk is known as this type of cognition in CBT.
What is cognitive distortion?
This disorder is a rare anxiety-related condition in which individuals experience intense fear or distress specifically triggered by using toilets in public, often leading to avoidance that impairs daily functioning.
What is parcopreisis?