This is the sixth post in the Grey Thinking series, Five of the most underrated coping skills.

This isn’t going to come as any surprise to those of you who have followed Grey Thinking for any length of time…. but watching DVDs of TV series is one of my favorite “coping skills.”  I may be stretching the idea of a “coping skill” a little bit here, but anything to justify my House marathons…
I like to watch four hours of old Grey’s Anatomy episodes (especially during evenings that I’m depressed) because I …

This is the fifth post in the Grey Thinking series, Five of the most underrated coping skills.
I’m not sure that “crafting” really encompasses the coping skill that I want to mention, but it’s the best term that I could come up with.  When I say “crafting,” I mean any of the following:

coloring
making collages
sudoku /crossword puzzles
word searches
computer solitaire
kitting
drawing / painting
origami

…see my point?  Semi-creative (and low-stress) activities that keep your hands busy.  I don’t know what it is about keeping my hands busy, but it really helps with the anxiety.
Personally, I prefer …

This is the fourth post in the Grey Thinking series, Five of the most underrated coping skills.
If you don’t know what a “kudos chart is” – it’s a sticker chart.  You know those charts that your mom made when you were five that had actions like “make bed” and “brush teeth” on it?  Yep, those.  I heard someone refer to them as “kudos charts” on twitter several months back, and since my current chart is not actually using stickers, I’m going to go with that terminology.
My explanation is simple: a …

This is the third post in the Grey Thinking series, Five of the most underrated coping skills.
Out of sight, out of mind.
This idiom definitely proves true for me.  I get so wrapped up in everything going on in life that I forget about all these health / self-care / positive affirmations / you name it that I’m trying to convince myself of.
I wrote about this in a previous post, I’m going to need that in writing, but it’s definitely worth mentioning again.  I have a bulletin board above my desk …

This is the second post in the Grey Thinking series, Five of the most underrated coping skills.
I don’t know why more people don’t hang out in card stores.  Just think about it… when you have a friend that’s upset, it’s not uncommon to send them some kind of “cheer up / feel better” card.  So, if you’re upset… doesn’t it just make sense to spend an hour in a card shop and read 100 of those?
I know that there is more to getting cards than the card itself (say… the …

Coloring aside (and other “active meditation,” I guess), there is something that I hate about meditation (guided imagery especially). Deep breathing maybe helps me when I’m starting to freak out, but I think that’s because I’m telling myself “chill, take a moment, calm down, relax, collect yourself, you’ll be okay.” However, breathing deeply does stop my heart from beating so quickly.
Meditation is different though. I think it’s frustrating and I feel so impatient with it. It’s supposed to be calming, but really it just wears on …