January 2023
Coping Skills
To start off this New Year, make it a resolution to start taking your mental health and well-being seriously. Luckily, there is a great place to get started - coping skills. Coping skills are great tools to have in addition to counseling or therapy.
What is coping?
Johns-Hopkins defines coping as “the efforts we make to manage situations we have appraised as potentially harmful or stressful” (Fisher, 2020). Coping requires one to have an active role in their responses to what happens in their life.
As with most things, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to cope. It is important to develop healthy coping skills to help maintain and build resilience and manage stressful situations in everyday life.
Take care of yourself
Exercise, eat healthy, get plenty of sleep
Connect with others
Meditate
Music
Being outside
Make time to unwind
Recognize when you need additional help
Reach out to a qualified therapist or counselor
Unhealthy coping skills:
Relying on alcohol or drugs
Gambling
Self-harming behaviors
Behaviors in excess
Excessive consumption of junk food
Excessive spending
Excessive anger or aggression
It is important to be able to identify successful coping strategies for you as an individual. They are not one size fits all! Utilizing a therapist or counselor can be a great way to begin navigating the journey of finding effective coping skills and prioritizing mental health.