Coping Skills

Skills for coping with general mental health and crisis

[coping-skills]

Wise Mind is the state of mind where the Reason side of your mind and the Emotion side of your mind, work together

Reasonable mind or the reason side of your mind is all about logic and hard facts and is task-focused.

Emotion mind (emotion side of mind) is all about those emotions and feelings, and ruled by urges.

Combining them in Wise Mind means seeing both sides and recognizing their value, then acting or existing in that balance where they work together. Think of it as finding the best of both worlds.

This requires a whole lot of active practicing before it can become habit.

Another way to look at Wise Mind is the middle path between being and doing. Being mind is present oriented, while Doing mind is goal oriented/

Some ways to practice Wise Mind:

-when making decisions take note of which mind is making the decision, or is the strongest factor.

-when presented with a problem, make a chart or Venn-diagram and note what thoughts/feelings/urges you are having and which mind they fall under. Then think about how to combine them into wise mind.

-general meditation and mindfulness activities will help with this awareness as well Wise Mind is the state of mind where the Reason side of your mind and the Emotion side of your mind, work together

Reasonable mind or the reason side of your mind is all about logic and hard facts and is task-focused.

Emotion mind (emotion side of mind) is all about those emotions and feelings, and ruled by urges.

Combining them in Wise Mind means seeing both sides and recognizing their value, then acting or existing in that balance where they work together. Think of it as finding the best of both worlds.

This requires a whole lot of active practicing before it can become habit.

Another way to look at Wise Mind is the middle path between being and doing. Being mind is present oriented, while Doing mind is goal oriented/

Some ways to practice Wise Mind:

-when making decisions take note of which mind is making the decision, or is the strongest factor.

-when presented with a problem, make a chart or Venn-diagram and note what thoughts/feelings/urges you are having and which mind they fall under. Then think about how to combine them into wise mind.

-general meditation and mindfulness activities will help with this awareness as well

[coping-skills]

Tuesday tips:

Have any mental health tips, tricks, or hacks?

[coping-skills]

Self-Care Challenge: Self-Soothe or Comfort box

Start by Gathering up some of your favorite things for comfort, make sure you have at least one item that involves each of your 5 main senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell). See examples below. 

Find a container these items will fit in with at least some room to spare to add to it over time. Reusing/recycling and upcycling containers recommended, and it can be any type of container. Take the time to decorate your container in some way that sparks joy or find one that already does. 

Place items inside and put in a place you can easily see and access when you need comfort/soothing. if you have large items that won’t fit you can put in a placeholder-like a note saying what the item is and where it’s kept. 

The idea is to mostly have it all together for when you really need it.

Sight -artwork -coloring pages and coloring utensils -photos -a book

Sound -cd or playlist -comforting movie or tv show

touch -soft blanket -stuffed animal -bath bomb or Epsom salts

taste -chocolates or other treat -favorite drink

smell -scented candles -essential oils

[coping-skills]

Self-Care Challenge: Self-Care Jar

Start by picking a container, it doesn’t have to be a jar it can be whatever (bonus points for reusing/recycling or upcycling something). 

Then grab some paper, writing utensils, and scissors or a paper cutter. Write down different self care activities you enjoy that work for you, try to get as many as you can with some from every category. 

You can color code these or decorate them, if you want or just leave them plain. Cut the pieces apart and put them in your container. 

I recommend decorating your container as well, or at least labeling it so you remember what it is. 

Then place it somewhere you will easily see. Then whenever your feeling down, upset, or burnt out or approaching any of these feelings you can pull out an activity (or more) from your jar to do to improve your mood.

[coping-skills]

Self Awareness Month

Self-Awareness is all about knowing you- Who you are, how you identify, what and who matters to you, and so much more

Self awareness activities: -guided journaling -mindfulness activities -mood tracking -strengths and challenges lists -take a personality test (or several) -discover your love language

[coping-skills]

September is National Self Care and National Self Awareness Month (in the US).

Self care is far more than just face masks and bubble baths. It’s about taking care of yourself, your whole self, so you avoid burn out and overwhelm. there are many different ways to categorize and define the types of self-care, below are my preferred version and examples.

Physical -exercise, take a walk or yoga -stay hydrated -get recommended amount of sleep -healthy eating/balanced meals -warm bath or shower

Emotional -positive affirmations -journaling -watch a favorite movie or tv show -set and enforce boundaries -gratitude log/list

Mental -read a book -do puzzles -learn a new skill -watch a documentary

Spiritual -pray -meditate -random act of kindness -volunteer -donate gently used items you no longer need

Social -hang out/talk to friends or family -make a new friend -play with pets -join a club or team

Practical -grocery shopping -changing bedding -make and follow to do lists -meal prep -clean up your spaces/declutter

check out our Pinterest board for Self-care for even more ideas. https://www.pinterest.com/coping0skills/self-care/

[coping-skills]

ABC PLEASE skills

For increasing positive emotions and reducing emotional vulnerability

A. Accumulate positive experiences

Do more things you enjoy and participate fully in the activity

Don’t let negative thoughts intrude (like how the activity/emotion will end, or whether you think you deserve the positive), ignore them and just be in the moment.

Make plans and set goals for more positive experiences in the future (one goal at a time in small achievable steps so you make sure you get there)

Try making a list of enjoyable activities for future reference.

B. Build Mastery

Do something everyday that makes you feel competent and in control. Challenge yourself a little bit more as you go to increase your skills. Make it difficult but still possible.

Can be long term skills (like learning a language, playing an instrument, or crocheting) or short-term projects (building or remodeling something, teaching a pet a new trick).

If you can find something that combines the two even better. Like I use crochet. Learning stitches and techniques are long term skills that get easier/better the more you practice and you create things which are short term projects. Some other examples that combine both are art of any kind, carpentry, dance of any kind, any type of yoga or martial arts, writing, etc.

C. Cope Ahead

Plan ahead for emotional situations. Think about what skills will be most helpful and what you may need to bring with you. Rehearse difficult conversations in advance, crafting possible responses, planning how to react the the emotions that may arise.

Pl- treat physical illness

Treat and prevent illness by taking care of your body’s needs. This includes washing your hands to fight of germs and bacterias, staying hydrated, shower, brush your teeth, and so much more.

E- eat regular healthy balanced meals. for some that 3 square meals a day for others 5 smaller meals, with a balance of the different food groups. (Fun fact 3 square meals a day simply mean a satisfying meal with enough to eat). Avoid excess sugar and processed foods as they slow your body down because they are harder to process.

A- avoid mood-altering substances and negative influences. Mood altering substances can cause a short term high, but case many problems in the long term and can impair your bodies ability to produce its own happy chemicals. And negative influences will decrease your mood.

S- sleep the recommended amount for your age group. Keep you sleep area clean and calm to allow for optimal rest. Darkness and a cooler temperature are recommended for more restful sleep.

E- exercise to improve health and mood (endorphins are released during exercise which improves your mood). Anything from walking or yoga to martial arts or cardio, just get your body moving.

[coping-skills]

Tuesday Tips: sharing tips, tricks, and hacks for mental health

[coping-skills]

Opposite Action skill:

Every emotion has an action urge, opposite action is changing the emotion by acting opposite to its action urge

When to use

-when your emotions do not fit the facts

-when acting on your emotions is not effective

[coping-skills]

Self-love is a part/type of self care.

How are you practicing self-love this week?

I’m practicing it by focusing on my boundaries, really listening to my body and emotions on clarifying when and where my boundaries are crossed and communicating it.

[coping-skills]

Mastery Monday!

Build Mastery (part of DBT skill ABC Please)

I mostly use crochet as my build mastery, but there are many things that can be used.

[coping-skills]

Distract with ACCEPTS skill

(This is definitely my go to skill)

The goal is to distract yourself from whatever is distressing you in positive way.

Some examples for each category:

Activities- reading, watching tv/movie/documentary, craft something, create art

Contribute- check out kokobot to anonymous help others, find a cause you support and do something for them

Comparison- thing about and remember the good things you’ve experienced and think about how this is different

(Opposite) Emotions- remember things that make you happy/excited/safe and do them or talk about them with someone

(Pushing away) Thoughts- try picturing a hand swatting negative thoughts away, or erasing them off a white board

(Other) sensations- see TIPP skill, touch smooth objects, listen to soothing music

[coping-skills]

Kokobot is a great way to help and support yourself and your mental health while helping and supporting others with theirs. It’s an anonymous way to vent and ask for advice from people all over the world. Koko also has several mini courses for mental health and a community server on discord.

Make sure to check out kokobot on tumblr

https://www.tumblr.com/message/kokobot

Pure hellsite effervescence. Home of Reblogs. All the art you never knew you needed. Your new fandom communities. Add to it or scroll throug

And the koko server on discord

https://discord.gg/GPy7XuTBgT

Join the Koko Cares Discord Server!

Koko connects you with real people who truly get you. Join over 2 million people who’ve used Koko to feel less alone. | 1,079 members

[coping-skills]

Check out our discord server for more skills and discussion

https://discord.gg/rGH24QyT3H

Join the Coping Skills Discord Server!

A safe place to learn and discuss coping skills | 10 members

[coping-skills]

Thought de-escalation

This skill involves taking a negative thought and making it more positive, without lying to yourself. It can have one step or many. And different ways to accomplish this, like:

-take the negative words in the thought and switch them for a positive word, while still keeping them true using not or don’t

-using a less harsh wording

-getting very specific, taking a general statement and breaking it down

-following the path of what your statement implies in a more positive direction

Some examples:

I hate that I said that thing that time.

Becomes:

I don’t love that I said that thing that time.

I hate myself.

Becomes:

I don’t like myself.

Becomes:

There are things about myself I don’t like.

Becomes:

There are things about myself I like.

Becomes:

There are things about myself I love.

(This skill differs from positive reframing, a similar type of skill).