EveHarrington
MyPTSD Pro
Hi!
While reading another thread I was thinking about coping skills and how it would be good to have a discussion about what personally helps you. I did a search and didn’t find a recent post like this so I decided I’d start one. I’m interested in learning about what others do, so please don’t hesitate to post even if your coping skill may be outside of the typical (but is still a positive coping skill and not a negative one).
I’ll start with mine…
1) Distraction. This is a good skill to use but I find myself using it too much so it can morph into avoidance (which I really do not want to do). I’ve been overusing this skill and that’s why I want to gravitate towards other skills. To me, distraction is just doing something mindless like watching a movie or surfing the internet.
2) Deep Breathing. This really helps me calm down but I usually forget to do it.
3) Meditation. It took me a long time to develop this skill but when I do it, it works 100% of the time at helping me to calm down. It may not completely take away my anxiety, but it always helps (and it’s better than any other skill I have, but again I forget to use it!) The meditation guides never helped me and I had to develop my own way of doing it.
4) Staying Busy. Sometimes it’s cleaning, sometimes it’s doing work, sometimes it’s just getting out of my home and going somewhere/doing something. Extra bonus if I’m attempting to accomplish something and it’s not just busyness as it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Simply doing things helps with my mind spirals and bad thoughts as I’m focused on something else.
5) Exercising. I’ve fallen off the wagon here, and I need to make this a priority.
6) Being around pets/animals. I’m sad as my cat has passed on and I don’t have him around to help me cope. I hope to get another cat though.
7) Journaling. I have an app that I use (that used to just be a website). I keep everything private so nobody can see it. (Or you can journal here which has the benefit of peer feedback.)
8) Mental Imagery. There are so many ways to do this but I have one go to place in my head that I always go, with a “friend”.
I know I have a lot more. I have a book where I write down my coping skills and I need to find it. I know it’s somewhere around here and I think I wrote down the skills I learned in the hospital.
While reading another thread I was thinking about coping skills and how it would be good to have a discussion about what personally helps you. I did a search and didn’t find a recent post like this so I decided I’d start one. I’m interested in learning about what others do, so please don’t hesitate to post even if your coping skill may be outside of the typical (but is still a positive coping skill and not a negative one).
I’ll start with mine…
1) Distraction. This is a good skill to use but I find myself using it too much so it can morph into avoidance (which I really do not want to do). I’ve been overusing this skill and that’s why I want to gravitate towards other skills. To me, distraction is just doing something mindless like watching a movie or surfing the internet.
2) Deep Breathing. This really helps me calm down but I usually forget to do it.
3) Meditation. It took me a long time to develop this skill but when I do it, it works 100% of the time at helping me to calm down. It may not completely take away my anxiety, but it always helps (and it’s better than any other skill I have, but again I forget to use it!) The meditation guides never helped me and I had to develop my own way of doing it.
4) Staying Busy. Sometimes it’s cleaning, sometimes it’s doing work, sometimes it’s just getting out of my home and going somewhere/doing something. Extra bonus if I’m attempting to accomplish something and it’s not just busyness as it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Simply doing things helps with my mind spirals and bad thoughts as I’m focused on something else.
5) Exercising. I’ve fallen off the wagon here, and I need to make this a priority.
6) Being around pets/animals. I’m sad as my cat has passed on and I don’t have him around to help me cope. I hope to get another cat though.
7) Journaling. I have an app that I use (that used to just be a website). I keep everything private so nobody can see it. (Or you can journal here which has the benefit of peer feedback.)
8) Mental Imagery. There are so many ways to do this but I have one go to place in my head that I always go, with a “friend”.
I know I have a lot more. I have a book where I write down my coping skills and I need to find it. I know it’s somewhere around here and I think I wrote down the skills I learned in the hospital.