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You are here: Home / mental health / What are Coping Skills?

What are Coping Skills?

July 15, 2024 by Bailey Mortis

Coping skills are strategies or tools a person uses in the moment to help manage stressful emotions. Stressful emotions can include feeling anger, anxiety, fear, sadness, frustration, and guilt. Coping skills can be categorized into two groups: problem-focused coping or emotion-focused coping. Problem-focused coping aims to address the problem causing the stress, such as creating a plan to solve the problem or seeking advice and support. Emotion-focused coping aims to manage the emotional reaction to the created stressor, such as practicing relaxation techniques or engaging in activities that provide emotional relief. Coping skills are encouraged to be used when an emotional response is triggered to help soothe yourself in the moment. It is something you can control in the moment to help yourself. Noticing the triggering warning signs in yourself, is very important to help implement a coping skill effectively.

Warning Signs Indicating the Need for Coping Skills

Recognizing the warning signs that signal the need for coping mechanisms is crucial for timely intervention. These signs include:

  • Physical symptoms: Headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, or stomach issues.
  • Emotional symptoms: Feelings of overwhelm, irritability, sadness, or anxiety.
  • Behavioral changes: Withdrawal from social activities, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, or increased use of substances like alcohol or drugs.
  • Cognitive symptoms: Difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, or persistent worry

Common Emotions Triggering the Use of Coping Skills

Certain emotions are more often trigged for utilizing coping strategies. These emotions include:

  • Anxiety: Feelings of unease, worry, or fear, often accompanied by physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating.
  • Anger: A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility that can lead to aggressive behavior if not managed.
  • Sadness: Feelings of sorrow or unhappiness that can range from mild disappointment to deep depression.
  • Frustration: A feeling of being upset or annoyed, particularly when unable to change or achieve something.
  • Guilt: A feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined.

Examples of  Healthy Coping Skills

  • Deep breathing 
  • Counting to 10
  • Fidgeting 
  • Five sense grounding technique (name 5 thing you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste) 
  • Listening to music 
  • Reading a book
  • Walking away
  • Squeezing a stress ball
  • Journaling 
  • Writing down feelings on paper and ripping it up
  • Exercising 
  • Talking to a trusted friend or family member
  • Drawling or painting 
  • Being in nature 

Examples of Unhealthy Coping Skills

  • Hurting yourself 
  • Threatening 
  • Blaming others
  • Avoiding the problem 
  • Hitting yourself or others
  • Being verbally aggressive 
  • Destroying property 
  • Oversleeping 
  • Using drugs or alcohol 
  • Writing negative social media post 
  • Name-calling or insulting yourself or others

Affirmations and Self-Talk Strategies in the Moment

In the heat of the moment, positive affirmations and self-talk can be powerful tools to regain control and manage emotions. Some effective strategies include:

  • Acknowledging the emotion: “It’s okay to feel this way. My feelings are valid.”
  • Reframing the situation: “This is challenging, but I can handle it. I’ve managed similar situations before.”
  • Focusing on the present: “I am here, right now. I don’t need to worry about the past and what I cannot change.”
  • Positive affirmations: “I am strong and capable. I can get through this.”
  • Breathing exercises: “I will take a few deep breaths to calm my mind and body.”

Coping skills are very important for managing stress and emotional challenges. By understanding what coping skills are, recognizing when to use them, identifying the warning signs, and employing effective self-talk strategies, individuals can enhance their emotional resilience and overall well-being. Encouraging the practice of these skills in daily life can lead to better mental health outcomes and a more balanced approach to handling life’s challenges.

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