Welcome to the Coping Skills Page
Everyone will encounter stressful situations at some point in their lives.
Read on to see how you can better deal with them!
It's a good idea to learn about and practice
coping skills in order to enhance
the quality of your life during a
crisis.
When a problem arises it is
a good idea to pinpoint the
problem and then research
the issue at hand. (This will be
helpful if you eventually need
to talk with a professional.)
Try to stay involved with
positive people.
Join a support group that deals directly
with your problem. (It is comforting to
know that others are going through the
same thing you are going through.)
Take your medication as prescribed. (Avoid
playing "doctor" by making decisions as to
when to stop taking your medicine.)
Practice some type of movement or stretching
with your doctor's permission. (Sometimes
people totally omit exercise during a crisis.
Movement can help boost your supply of
"happy" chemicals in the brain. It can also
help you to relax and sleep better.
Pay attention to whenever you are thinking any
negative thoughts. Keep a thought journal
so you can pinpoint during what time of the
day you are thinking negatively. Practice
the art of thought substitution. Whenever a
negative thought comes into your mind, picture
the thought being hit out of your mind with a
bat or floating out on a boat or use any guided
image you may come up with to help get rid of
the thought. Then immediately replace the
negative thought with a positive thought. Don't
worry if you don't "buy" into the positive thought
yet.)
Count your blessings and that means count all the things you
usually take for granted like being able to speak, to think, your
clothing, food, shelter, etc.
Realize that everything is in a state of change. Nothing stays
the same. Your cells are turning over, your thoughts are in
flux, and just because something is one way right now, does not
mean that this will be the case one minute from now. Count on
change!
Practice becoming more spiritual. Pray, meditate, attend
services. Join a church group. You may make some new
friends!
Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a beautiful
place; somewhere you have been before. Ask yourself
questions like, what is the temperature, who is there with you,
is it sunny, etc.
Practice the art of breathing for relaxation. Breath in through
the nose and out through the mouth until all your air is
expelled. This is a cleansing breath. Sit down while doing this
breathing exercise in case you get a bit dizzy. Repeat this
exercise two to three times. Another breathing exercise that
can help with stress begins the same as the cleansing breath
by breathing in through the nose. Keep the teeth slightly
parted as you exhale in three short spurts that will sound
like a hissing snake. Repeat this breathing exercise two to three
times to complete a set. Do this set of three in the morning,
the afternoon and in the evening or anytime you feel you are
encountering stress or are about to encounter stress. Doing the
exercise three times a day also helps ward off a buildup of
stress throughout the day.
Follow healthy eating guides and remember to drink enough
water. The brain is an organ and the organs work best when
hydrated.
Learn how to construct positive affirmations. Access our
affirmations page on this website. They can really help!
Try to stay involved as much as possible with your favorite
healthy activities. This can help boost your self esteem and can
act as a pleasant distraction during times of stress.
Create a "safe place" for yourself at home. This can be inside
or outside of the house. It can be a corner or small area that
you decorate or accent to suit your personal taste. You will feel
special whenever you are in your special place. It's fun!
Pets are great anytime but especially in a stressful situation.
Just petting your pet can help you relax. Pets give us
unconditional love. I wish we could all be as loving as our
pets.
Go to a beautiful place. This could be a place where beautiful
things exist like an art gallery, a boutique, a lake, a greenhouse,
etc.
Try something new. Sit somewhere different in church. Try a
new food. If you walk around the block by going right start by
going left. Doing something new, as long as it's healthy, helps
create new ways of thinking for you which may lead to new
ways of thinking about a situation or problem.
Learn something new everyday. Early research shows that
keeping the brain active through learning may lead to staving
off dementia or Alzhiemers disease.
Find someone you trust in order to express how you really feel.
Perform an act of kindness often, even daily. You will feel
good about yourself afterwards and you will be helping
someone else in the process.
Practice the art of forgiveness. Learn how to forgive others
and how to forgive yourself. Here is a self-forgiveness exercise.
Look at yourself in a mirror. Look directly into your own
eyes. Say out loud, "I forgive you" and then state your name.
As an added benefit say "I love you" and then state your name
again. Keep doing this exercise until you feel better about
yourself. If you need to forgive someone who has died, write
down everything you wish you could say to that person, read it
out loud, then rip up the paper and throw it away.
Avoid listening to the nightly news especially before going to
bed. It's usually bad news and this won't help you get a good
nights sleep.
Remember that life is a school. We learn a lot by experiencing
various situations and by helping others. Remain hopeful!
You could be just one minute away from something good
happening in your life!!!
Everyone will encounter stressful situations at some point in their lives.
Read on to see how you can better deal with them!
It's a good idea to learn about and practice
coping skills in order to enhance
the quality of your life during a
crisis.
When a problem arises it is
a good idea to pinpoint the
problem and then research
the issue at hand. (This will be
helpful if you eventually need
to talk with a professional.)
Try to stay involved with
positive people.
Join a support group that deals directly
with your problem. (It is comforting to
know that others are going through the
same thing you are going through.)
Take your medication as prescribed. (Avoid
playing "doctor" by making decisions as to
when to stop taking your medicine.)
Practice some type of movement or stretching
with your doctor's permission. (Sometimes
people totally omit exercise during a crisis.
Movement can help boost your supply of
"happy" chemicals in the brain. It can also
help you to relax and sleep better.
Pay attention to whenever you are thinking any
negative thoughts. Keep a thought journal
so you can pinpoint during what time of the
day you are thinking negatively. Practice
the art of thought substitution. Whenever a
negative thought comes into your mind, picture
the thought being hit out of your mind with a
bat or floating out on a boat or use any guided
image you may come up with to help get rid of
the thought. Then immediately replace the
negative thought with a positive thought. Don't
worry if you don't "buy" into the positive thought
yet.)
Count your blessings and that means count all the things you
usually take for granted like being able to speak, to think, your
clothing, food, shelter, etc.
Realize that everything is in a state of change. Nothing stays
the same. Your cells are turning over, your thoughts are in
flux, and just because something is one way right now, does not
mean that this will be the case one minute from now. Count on
change!
Practice becoming more spiritual. Pray, meditate, attend
services. Join a church group. You may make some new
friends!
Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a beautiful
place; somewhere you have been before. Ask yourself
questions like, what is the temperature, who is there with you,
is it sunny, etc.
Practice the art of breathing for relaxation. Breath in through
the nose and out through the mouth until all your air is
expelled. This is a cleansing breath. Sit down while doing this
breathing exercise in case you get a bit dizzy. Repeat this
exercise two to three times. Another breathing exercise that
can help with stress begins the same as the cleansing breath
by breathing in through the nose. Keep the teeth slightly
parted as you exhale in three short spurts that will sound
like a hissing snake. Repeat this breathing exercise two to three
times to complete a set. Do this set of three in the morning,
the afternoon and in the evening or anytime you feel you are
encountering stress or are about to encounter stress. Doing the
exercise three times a day also helps ward off a buildup of
stress throughout the day.
Follow healthy eating guides and remember to drink enough
water. The brain is an organ and the organs work best when
hydrated.
Learn how to construct positive affirmations. Access our
affirmations page on this website. They can really help!
Try to stay involved as much as possible with your favorite
healthy activities. This can help boost your self esteem and can
act as a pleasant distraction during times of stress.
Create a "safe place" for yourself at home. This can be inside
or outside of the house. It can be a corner or small area that
you decorate or accent to suit your personal taste. You will feel
special whenever you are in your special place. It's fun!
Pets are great anytime but especially in a stressful situation.
Just petting your pet can help you relax. Pets give us
unconditional love. I wish we could all be as loving as our
pets.
Go to a beautiful place. This could be a place where beautiful
things exist like an art gallery, a boutique, a lake, a greenhouse,
etc.
Try something new. Sit somewhere different in church. Try a
new food. If you walk around the block by going right start by
going left. Doing something new, as long as it's healthy, helps
create new ways of thinking for you which may lead to new
ways of thinking about a situation or problem.
Learn something new everyday. Early research shows that
keeping the brain active through learning may lead to staving
off dementia or Alzhiemers disease.
Find someone you trust in order to express how you really feel.
Perform an act of kindness often, even daily. You will feel
good about yourself afterwards and you will be helping
someone else in the process.
Practice the art of forgiveness. Learn how to forgive others
and how to forgive yourself. Here is a self-forgiveness exercise.
Look at yourself in a mirror. Look directly into your own
eyes. Say out loud, "I forgive you" and then state your name.
As an added benefit say "I love you" and then state your name
again. Keep doing this exercise until you feel better about
yourself. If you need to forgive someone who has died, write
down everything you wish you could say to that person, read it
out loud, then rip up the paper and throw it away.
Avoid listening to the nightly news especially before going to
bed. It's usually bad news and this won't help you get a good
nights sleep.
Remember that life is a school. We learn a lot by experiencing
various situations and by helping others. Remain hopeful!
You could be just one minute away from something good
happening in your life!!!
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