Coping 101 - a masterpost of down to earth resources
This post doesn’t contain links to many professional resources - it’s a list of coping tips from people who are mentally ill/disabled themselves and who all decided to share what has worked for them here on tumblr. In the last 7 months I have been sharing content created for and by mentally ill/disabled people on this blog - and to celebrate reaching 5000 followers, I have decided to collect all the best coping tips I’ve come across in one easily accessible place. Enjoy!
Managing emotions:
Letting go of emotional suffering via mindfulness.
DBT strengthening statements
Handling negative emotions
The “emotions are signals” method
The “mindfully recognizing emotions” method
Healthy perspectives on emotions
The “emotions are like hiccups” method
The “healthy outlets” method
Managing anxiety:
Coping statements for anxiety.
Breathing exercise gif
Breathing exercise gif 2
Things to remember when having an anxiety attack
The “just show up” method
The “panicky friend” method
Grounding techniques
The “I can survive the next 10 seconds” method
The “distract your brain” method
The “you will be able to cope” method
Managing depression:
7 depression tips and why they work
Depression tips
21 tips to keeping your shit together when you’re depressed
Managing executive dysfunction:
The “might as well” method.
The “one step access” method.
Why self-discipline isn’t always the answer.
The “use whatever works” method.
The “taking care of someone else” method.
The “june-bugging” method.
Tricks for pushing through executive dysfunction
The “do several things at once” method
The “accept your limits” methods
The “turn it into a game” method
The “anything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method
The “tricking your brain” method
The “untangling the spaghetti” method.
The “smaller steps” method
The “emergency cleaning” method
The “letting go of should” method.
The “my body is an animal I need to care about” method
The “fork theory” method
The “remove the barriers” method
The “half-ass things” method
Managing negative thinking:
Challenging cognitive distortions.
Finding alternative thoughts.
Challenging negative thoughts
How to get over past mistakes
Toxic positivity vs hope and validation
How to improve your self-esteem
Negative and positive cognitions
The “self neutrality” method
The “separate your negative qualities from your identity” method
Self talk to help end obsessions
Ten forms of twisted thinking + ten ways to untwist your thinking
Managing self care:
How to practice balanced self care.
Why hands-on hobbies are important
Ways to self-soothe
A list of mental illness workbooks
Ways to start feeling again
How to get back on track after a breakdown
How to self-soothe and treat yourself
Types of healthy coping skills
The “parenting yourself” method
An interactive self care guide
The “don’t ignore your needs” method
Online self care
Making the most of therapy
Free worksheets for people who can’t access therapy
The “add good things to your life” method
Showering for spoonies
The “do what you can” method
The “it isn’t a waste of time just because it won’t cure you” method.
Self care cheat sheet
The “create something” method
Managing school:
Studying with anxiety and depression
Studying with mental illness
Coping with dissociation in school
Managing exam periods when you’re mentally ill
The “done is better than none” method
How to survive college
Managing urges to harm yourself:
What to do to when you’re suicidal
Questions to ask before giving up
Alternatives to self harm
Coping with suicidal thoughts
