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Coping Skills: Everyday Strategies to Help Manage Your Mental Health

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Coping Skills: Everyday Strategies to Help Manage Your Mental Health

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, frustrated, sad, angry, excited, tired, worried, anxious, or depressed? Believe it or not, that’s a good thing! All of these emotions and feelings are a part of being human, and growing up. In fact, it’s common to feel these things in both big and small ways, for a variety of different reasons. No matter if it’s something big or small, we would like to offer you some tools to help! 

Please note - these activities can help with stress and for coping with difficult feelings, but are not designed to be a substitute for seeking professional help. If you are concerned about yourself, a friend, or family member, we encourage you to get support from a trusted adult or a trained mental health professional.

 

Working Through Anxiety

Breathing Exercise:

  • Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4. 
  • While holding your breath in, count to 7.
  • Breathe out of your mouth to the count of 8.   
  • Repeat up to 10 times, until you begin to feel calm.

Task-Related Anxiety:

  • Does your anxiety get worse when you have a big project, chore, or task to do? Here’s a helpful way to overcome those tasks that can help with anxiety:
  • Divide the large task into smaller parts or steps.
  • Write down each step, in order from easiest to most difficult.
  • Start with your first task and cross each step off as you complete them, until you’re done!

This may seem silly, but the positive energy you feel when completing simpler tasks can help motivate you to take on the more difficult tasks that are causing anxiety or worry.

 

Feeling Frustrated or Angry?

Writing Exercise:

  • Grab a piece of paper and something to write with.
  • Write about the situation upsetting you, every thought and feeling.
  • It doesn’t have to make sense.
  • Once you’re done, rip up the paper several times.
  • Dispose/Recycle the paper.

Why destroy the paper instead of keep it in a journal?

When you tear the paper, it can provide a release from the anger you’re feeling. In addition, it provides more privacy. A Journal is usually great for writing down thoughts and feelings you have had more time to process and understand. When someone feels angry, they usually aren’t in a place to process that feeling quite yet.

Once you have had time to get those thoughts and emotions out, journaling can be a great way to reflect at the end of the day.

Drawing Exercise:

Sometimes we don’t have the words to accurately describe how we feel. Drawing can be a great alternative to express how you feel instead of writing it down.

  • Grab a piece of paper or art material (i.e., canvas, sketch book, notebook).
  • Draw a picture of what is upsetting you or how you are currently feeling
  • Use a variety of colors; choose ones that feel right to you!
  • Draw until you are satisfied and feeling calm.
  • Take a few moments to reflect:
    • How did your drawing change from start to finish?
    • How do you feel now compared to when you started drawing?
    • What do you think of your art?

Similar to the writing exercise, there is an option to destroy the art, however, great works of art often come from emotional places. You may want to keep it!

 Physical Activity:

Physical activity is a great outlet for pent up energy when feeling frustrated or angry. When you get up and move, different systems in your body get activated that can help turn your mood around!  Try dancing, running, walking, doing yoga, or even jumping on a trampoline! Exercise is one way to let the body express what the mind is feeling. Have a favorite song? Turn it up and get moving! 

“Break The Ice”

Have you ever been so angry that you break something? Usually when that happens, it’s easy to feel bad about it afterwards or feel remorse and regret. When we’re angry, we aren’t seeing situations clearly, and that makes it difficult to think about the future or consequences to our actions.

Instead of breaking your things, try breaking ice! Please note – get your parent’s permission before trying this activity.

  • Grab a small container and fill it with ice.
  • Go outside to an area with concrete
  • Throw a piece of ice at the concrete in a safe area (it’s best to pick a spot that isn’t a walkway and won’t be harmed by thrown and melted ice).
  • Continue doing so until you are out of ice, or feeling calm.

When you watch the ice break apart, those feelings can be released along with it!

 

Feeling Sad and/or Tired?

The first question to ask yourself should be “Do I know why I’m feeling this way?”. Has something happened recently that is making you feel this way? Sometimes certain events can trigger these feelings and emotions and at other times, there doesn’t appear to be a reason at all. Feeling this way isn’t necessarily abnormal, in fact feeling tired or sad is all a part of being human. However, if these feelings have been going on for a while, for weeks or months, it might be time to seek professional help as there is probably something bigger going on. Once again, we always recommend seeking help from a trusted adult and mental health professional.

Whether it’s something you’re experiencing in the moment or have been for a while, there’s a few activities you can do that might help!

  • Listen to music that really moves you. Not everyone likes every type of music, and while upbeat music and dancing can be a good way to boost your mood, sometimes listening to a song that you really connect with can be equally effective. Have a favorite movie from an earlier time in your life? Listen to the soundtrack! Music is one of the most creative art forms that exists and there is something for everyone, and every mood.
  • Don’t be ashamed to cry. Crying is a normal, healthy response to different emotions. Have you ever heard someone say “tears of joy?”, crying doesn’t have to be because of something sad, but often times it can be. Tears can actually be a physical release of emotion, and is much more beneficial than holding them back. In fact, according to Psych Central, “Tears remove toxins that build up courtesy of stress.  They are like a natural therapy or massage session, but they cost a lot less!” Sometimes, crying can actually boost your mood! So, the next time you feel tears starting to form, remember that’s it’s okay, and that it’s better to feel what you are feeling in that moment instead of letting those feelings build up.
  • Get up and move! This may seem like the last thing you want to do, but movement has some of the best benefits to your mental and physical health! Try doing a light exercise routine, go for a walk, try out a new sport, or just opt to take the stairs instead of the elevator. The more movement, the more your brain and body communicate. That communication helps release chemicals in your brain, and helps release helpful hormones that deal with stress.


Feeling Worried or Concerned?

Do you know what it is that’s making you feel this way? Everything? Nothing? Something that happened or could happen in the future? Step 1: Make a list.  It’s normal to worry about the “what-ifs” in life. However, starting by writing them all down will help keep these thoughts more organized.  Once you have your list, it’s time to analyze it and ask yourself a few questions:

  • Is this concern productive or non-productive? (i.e., do you benefit from worrying about it?)
  • Can I do anything about it at this moment?
  • If not, when can I do something about it?

This should help you organize these concerns. Things that are non-productive usually don’t need to cause further worry once we’ve realized how they impact us. Sometimes, we have concerns that are very important to think about but we are either busy or aren’t able to do anything about it in that moment.

Instead, think of when you will have the opportunity to do something about it, maybe it’s later that day, the next day, maybe even the following week. When you give yourself a time frame, it can help ease some of that anxiety and worry.

Worrying isn’t always a bad thing, there’s positive stress that can cause us to worry from time to time and help us work through problems. It’s when worrying becomes too overwhelming that it’s a good idea to talk with someone in your life that you trust. 

 

 

Lastly, talk about it. Whether to a trusted friend, family member, or trained counselor. Voicing the things that are worrying you is another great step to resolving those worries. Remember, feelings are always temporary, they will go away.  Give yourself time. 

If you are concerned about yourself, a friend, or family member, it’s always best to reach out for support. Everyone goes through ups and downs. Remember, you don’t need to be in crisis to start receiving the help you need today. We’re here to help! Our team here at Aurora can help you build a foundation of these skills in our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). To learn more about our IOP Program or to schedule a free assessment, call us today 877.870.7012

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