What are Coping Skills?
What are Coping Skills?
Coping skills are tangible strategies one can implement to relieve emotional or psychological discomfort. Coping skills do not completely eliminate emotional or psychological distress, but they help individuals cope through these experiences. Coping skills can minimize the intensity and duration of emotional distress. Coping tools can help individuals cope with anxiety, depression, and other personal stressors.
How Do You Learn Coping Skills?
Individuals can learn coping skills and tools through individual or group therapy. Coping skills can also be learned through online courses and other resources. Embrace Now offers several Coping Skill Courses through our online membership.
How Do You Know Which Coping Skills Work?
It is important to practice a variety of coping strategies to identify which skills work best for you. You will begin to understand which coping tools work best for you through trial and error. Repetition is also important when it comes to coping skills. It may take several repetitions of a strategy in order for you to notice an impact on your emotional state or ability to cope.
List of Healthy Coping Strategy Ideas for Personal Stressors
Mindfulness practices
Questioning if there is any alternative perspective to unhelpful thoughts
Incorporating activities you find pleasurable into your routine
Incorporating achievement-based activities into your routine
Moving your body
Positive affirmations/mantras
Spending time engaging with people and things that are important to you
Potentially Negative Ways to Cope with Stress
Acting out
Alcohol/drug use
Displacing stress onto others
Isolating
Sleeping more than necessary/usual
Reckless behaviors
Excessive reassurance seeking
Learn more about how to implement healthy coping strategies and reduce potentially negative coping mechanisms through Embrace Now’s online learning community or through individual therapy. Check out our free resources on how to find a therapist here.
