Five of the most underrated coping skills
…according to Grey Thinking, at least. I’ve seen so many coping skills lists full of bubble baths, deep breathing, positive affirmations, etc, and really am just bored with them. Someone needs to come up with some creative and new alternative coping mechanisms! I might as well start. Here’s a list of some of my favorite / most-helpful coping skills, that I’ve never seen (or very rarely seen) on any “learning to cope” list.
Five of the most underrated coping skills:
- card stores
- bulletin boards
- kudos charts
- crafting
- dvds
I have a lot to say about each one of these, so I’m going to break them up into different posts. However, I’d love to hear you feedback and any alternative or underrated coping skills that you might use.
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- Underrated coping skill: bulletin boards « Grey Thinking
- Underrated coping skill: kudos charts « Grey Thinking
I totally agree! Some others that I like:
Dollar stores. I’ll wander up and down all the aisles, pick out some completely frivolous stuff that I don’t need, and for five or ten bucks I’ve given myself a good break and often gotten my mood back on track or gotten past the urge to binge. Plus, you can double thiis with other coping skills by buying something like a prickly ball or some playdough to use for grounding if that’s something you need!
Scrapbooking. That’s just my particular version of crafting. Sometimes I’ll just sort my supplies instead of doing any actual crafting if I’m very agitated and I find that quite soothing.
Trip planning. I am lucky enough to have a real trip coming up that I am planning for, but when I don’t, I’ll still work on planning my dream vacation.
Love to hear what others do!
I am totally with you on the DVDs. I especially like watching something that fits with my emotional state at the time – it sort of validates what I am feeling and helps me move on.
Others I like: taking a walk around the block, cuddling with pets, getting coffee (added bonus if it is with a friend!), organizing things.
I’ve started writing penpal letters. I’ve actually found it to be pretty therapeutic.
Great list of coping skills, btw. Glad they work for you.
I love getting lost in a dvd movie and/or book, to disappear to a different world, for at least a little while.
Shirley – Dollar stores is a GREAT one! I’ve definitely done that before. I’ll also go to Target & Walmart and buy things like markers, post-it notes, etc… but the Dollar Store is probably a better idea (cheaper, too!)
That’s great that trip planning is relaxing for you! Trip planning actually makes me anxious sometimes – mainly because I can’t make up my mind what I want to do. Hope that you have a good time.
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BL – Walking my dog is hugely helpful (combining you’re suggestions #1 and #2)… and this is just another reason why I think everyone should have a pet.
Thanks for your feedback, Shirley and BL!
Buying makeup!