COPING STRATEGIES

[startingnew]

hi everyone

so ive only been on these forums for about 2 months now and have come to realise alot of people are after coping strategies.

i have quite alot of coping strategies- not all of them work on me but i thought id share what i have and what i think of as it goes along and maybe itll help others.

please feel free to add your own coping strategies too 🙂 the more the better 🙂

[startingnew]

hold an ice cube in one/both hands or place on the back of your neck
write on yourself with a felt tip marker
snap a rubber band on your ankle or wrist
dig your fingernails into a limb without breaking the skin
write letters to people you hate, are angry at or have hurt you. tell them what they did to you, and tell them why your angry or hate them. throw the letters away, burn them or watch them crumble in the water or keep put them away
throw foam balls or rolled socks or soemthing similar at the wall or the floor as hard as you can
scream as loud as you can into a pillow or where it wont draw attention to other people
crying
talk to a friend
oraganise a holiday. you have unlimited money so plan a holiday that you would want to take, where would you go? what would see? places to visit?
organise a party- again can be fake but unlimited money. design your ideal party, or pick an age and design one for someone else.
exercise
life weights
do youga, tai chi, pilates or meditation
go for a walk somewhere peaceful
take a scenic drive
go outside and watch the clouds. name the shapes images you see forming
ride your bike
go for a swim
get a massage
get outside even if its jsut out the front
eat one of your favourite food
cook/bake your favoourite food
try a nw baking recipie
take a cooking class
go outside and play with your pet
wash your pets
watch your fave movie. tv show or youtube clips
listen to music
play solitaire
do puzzles- with puzzle pieces, crosswords, findawords
contact a helpline, or go to online chat
play video games

[startingnew]

go shopping
get a hair cut
design your ideal spa day
go to a spa and get pampered
go to a library
got to your favourite cafe for coffee/tea/ snacks
visit a museum or art gallery
go to church, temple or other place of worship
write a letter to god
learn a new language
sing or learn to sing
play a musical instrument or learn to play a new one
write your own song
listen to music
take photographs
join a club
plant a garden
make a scrapbook with pictures
pain your nails
change your hair colour
work n your car, bike, truck etc
read your favourite book, magazine, paper or poem
write your own poem, book or story
art- painting, drawing, sewing, crochet etc
do an art challange from a random topic generator
write a letter to a friend or family member

write a loving letter to yourself
make a list of the things your good at
Have sex
make a list of people you admire and why
write a story about the craziest, funniest or most embarrrassing thing that has happened to you
make a list of celebrities you would want to be friends with and why
write a letter to soemone who made your life better- you dont have to give it to them.
do some charity work
make a list of your favourite quotes

[GreenTea_Honey]

Amazing thread startingnew, thank you so much for posting all of these techniques and really explaining them.

I'm trying mindfulness techniques for the first time and I'm using many of these posts as a point of reference. Of the other techniques, I really like the distraction exercises/practices for during bad anxiety - going through the alphabet backwards, counting down from 100 in different fractions, and Shelley Anne's note to sit with the toddlers and just focus on that. I babysit a lot and it's never really been something I thought to consider as part of my coping but I think I will now, I think looking at it this way might help 🙂

Again, awesome thread. Hope you're all well

[startingnew]

hello and your most welcome 🙂 feel free to add your own strategies in and let us know what works for you too. im glad these posts are helping you, you can refer back to them anytime you like. hopefully ill have a few more to share soon or as i learn them too

[startingnew]

Hi All

just wanted to bump this thread up.

please feel free to add in your own strategies here too.

[startingnew]

JOURNALLING STRATEGIES

there are many ways to journal. Having your own special journal you can write about anything you like. Let out your depest secrets, your emotions, hates, worries, laughs. Everything and anything that your going through. Journalling is also a great way to process, and reflect back to show the progress youve made. Often there is a pattern that emerges and you can figure out your triggers, your mood patterns and learn from them as to what worked and what doesnt work.

You can have more than one journal if you wish. One for your thoughts and feelings is just one example another is a Dream Journal. Where you can write down all your wishes and let your imagination run wild and see where your 'journey' is taken. Rememeber in a dream journal nothing is silly or wrong. They are your dreams and they can be whatever you want them to be.

Another type of journal is a more of a prompt Journal. This can come in handy when your bored or need a distraction.

Some ideas for this are but not included to:

- Write for a set amount of time. Start the stop watch, and you write that whole time! Write upside down, write sideways, write big or small, use different colours, write from your heart, or write a quote. JUST DO NOT STOP WRITING! Write as fast as you can. Write the thought process you have while staring at the page! Don't miss one word! When the stop watch stops, close the journal and walk away.
A good time I think is around 15 minutes or so, but you can write for as long as you want.

-write a letter to yourself at a specific age, talking to yourself as if you were talking to a child on that level so you could learn from yourself to ease the pain.

- write a letter to that scared child inside yourself, letting them know that they are safe and they itll be ok.

- write about your most embarrassing time

- write about the most powerful 'wow' moment you have experienced in your lifetime. Write about it and relive it as a positive journal activity.


- write your name in captial letters in a vertical line down the page. For each letter of your name write a positive attribute