Are you feeling bogged down by the weight of the world? Do you have personal struggles that are negatively impacting your mental health? You’re not alone. With the constant chaos in the world, it can be challenging to handle, making coping skills a necessary means for protecting your mental well-being.
What Are Coping Skills?
Coping skills are the thoughts and methods people use to deal with internal and external stressful situations. These skills can help a person face their situation, take action, and be flexible and persistent in solving their issues. Here are several that have proven to be helpful.
1. Positive Self-Talk
Do you batter and abuse yourself with negative self-talk? It’s time to change the tune to that inner voice. Start by following one rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else. Simple.
There is a method used in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) known as the 3 C’s — Catch, Check, and Change — that is helpful in turning negative thoughts into positive self-talk.
First, notice the negative thought or thinking process. Ask yourself – “What is the mind saying or getting caught up in?” Next, check it against reality. Is there concrete evidence to support or oppose the thought? Finally, change it. Ask yourself: “What is a more realistic, logical, and helpful way of thinking about this?”
The three C’s of cognitive behavior therapy work together to help people identify and challenge negative patterns of thinking contributing to emotional distress.
2. Breathing Exercises
There are many breathing exercises that you can add to your coping skills toolbox. Deep breathing is ideal for centering yourself to a more relaxed state. Standing or sitting, start by expanding your chest by drawing your elbows back slightly. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold it for five seconds, and slowly release your breath through your nose.
Alternatively, try the 4-7-8 breathing technique. It involves inhaling for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds.
3. Write Down Your Thoughts
Get out of your head! Writing down your thoughts can help you cope with stress and anxiety by providing a positive outlet for negative feelings. It allows you to freely express your feelings honestly without fear of criticism or judgment.
This practice is commonly known as journaling, but if all you have is a sheet of paper, start there. The important thing is to get your thoughts in front of you on paper.
Cambridge University research finds: “Writing about traumatic, stressful, or emotional events has been found to result in improvements in both physical and psychological health in non-clinical and clinical populations.”
Furthermore, the study demonstrates health outcomes, including improved immune system functioning, reduced blood pressure, reduced depressive symptoms, and improved mood and lung and liver functions.
4. Prioritize Self-Care
Do you neglect self-care? Prioritizing it is a great first step at maintaining positive mental health. For example, when I’m experiencing one of my bouts of depression, it can be the biggest chore in my day to get into the shower.
There have been times when I entertained the idea for hours before getting into the tub. However, once the water hits me, I immediately begin to feel better and wonder why I fought myself so relentlessly about taking care of my body’s basic needs.
Self-care is much more than hygeine. What does self-care look like to you? Do you have back pain and neglect getting massages? Do you enjoy getting your nails done but never make the time? Speaking of time, is it time to make another appointment with your therapist? Have you been taking your medication? Don’t neglect taking care of yourself.
5. Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude has many benefits, including physical, mental, and spiritual. Expressing gratitude can improve your mood, make you more optimistic, and improve relationships and overall health.
Make a habit of noticing what’s going well in your life to help you cope with stress. You can practice gratitude by writing down three things you are grateful for daily, voicing it in prayer, or taking up gratitude journaling.
Related Reading: 10 Amazing Gratitude Journaling Prompts for Recovering Addicts
6. Use Grounding Techniques
Have you heard of the five-senses grounding technique? You intentionally take in the details of your environment using each of your senses when using the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
Begin the exercise by taking three deep breaths. Then complete the five-step process:
- Name five things you see around you.
- Name four things you can touch around you.
- Name three things you can hear around you.
- Name two things you can smell around you.
- Name one thing you can taste around you.
Finish with a long, deep breath. Being aware of your senses and surroundings increases mindfulness and brings you into the present time. This practice will help you to feel less overwhelmed, giving you control over your reactions, emotions, and life.
7. Entertain Creative Expression
Another way to healthily cope with emotions is by entertaining a creative outlet. What is your passion? What brings you joy? If you don’t already have a hobby that you indulge in, it’s time to find one.
Whether writing, painting, drawing, singing, dancing, or any other creative expression, engaging in these activities provides a therapeutic outlet for expressing emotions, reducing stress, and calming anxiety.
Creative activities can help boost self-esteem by providing a sense of accomplishment while distracting you from your stressors and shifting negative thoughts to positive actions.
8. Unplug
One of the most detrimental influences on a person’s mental health is their exposure to news and social media. It’s negative. As someone who creates and publishes content, negative content receives droves of traffic. In contrast, positive and helpful content gets a few clicks. It’s extremely frustrating.
So what does that mean? Media is blanketing the television and internet with a ton of nasty, negative stories that weigh heavily on mental health. Unplug for a while. Delete social media apps from your phone so they won’t become a temptation, and take a mental break from drowning in a sea of content designed to upset you and get you to react.
9. Start Praying
People often think of prayer as a bedtime or mealtime habit, but you can say them all day. From one-line unexpected prayers such as: “Lord, please let the drivers in that car accident be okay” to conversing with God in the shower, there is no wrong way to pray.
Don’t limit yourself to the image of kneeling at the foot of the bed before you sleep. Prayer is so much more than that. Take everything to God, put prayer at the center of your life, and watch things grow better.
I’ve heard this quote in a rap song but have heard variations of it elsewhere, and I find it helpful to remind myself with it: “If you pray, don’t worry. If you worry, don’t pray.”
10. Use Opposite to Emotion Action
Opposite to emotion action is an emotion regulation skill used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help improve mood. With any emotion comes an action urge, or behavior prompt. The purpose of opposite to emotion action is to identify unhelpful urges and behaviors and to respond in the opposite way you’re feeling to improve your mood.
For example, when you’re angry, show kindness or walk away. If you feel shame, don’t isolate and hide. Instead, keep your head held high, make eye contact, and keep your shoulders back. If you are feeling depressed, make yourself active and benefit from the natural boost of endorphins that follow.
This technique can be challenging to implement initially, but the results are incredible if you can manage it.
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Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.