Coping skills for anxiety and stress

Why do we need to cope? Why can’t we just make it go away?

I recently talked about stress and how everyone is faced with it at different times. We don’t always need to use coping skills when we are stressed or busy though. Sometimes we need to buckle down and complete the task we are working on, then we will feel better. It’s the times when the stress, anxiety, worry, and thoughts continue even after a task is done or a situation has passed.

Coping skills are one way of helping ourselves manage stress and challenges. As discussed over here, stress won’t always just go away. Adding in coping skills can help us relax when we start worrying too much. They can help us be physically busy so we can think through a situation at a deeper level.

Have you ever noticed that when you are doing something that’s not too busy but still active, you are able to think clearly and inspirationally? That’s because our brain gets the right level of distracted that it can’t over think and start racing but it can still think deeply. I’ll cover this in more depth on another post though because it’s fascinating. Our brain is amazing in so many ways. Let me get back on track again though.

Coping skills can provide distraction at times when we need to stop thinking or feeling things for a little while to get a break. They can help us settle down just enough to think clearly and understand what is happening better. They can provide relaxation and enjoyment that we haven’t been feeling lately because of all the stress and anxiety that we have been experiencing. All of these things are correct, it just depends on what we need at the time.

Exercise

Exercise seems to be the answer for so many things, but it really does help. If you enjoy exercise than you probably already have a routine or have one you can return to. If not, exercising doesn’t have to be anything complicated or overwhelming.

Go for a walk before work or during your lunch break. This can start your day off with getting your blood flowing and getting you to clear your mind. If you walk during your lunch break, it can get you out of the office to some quiet to listen to music, your favorite podcast, or alone with your thoughts to clear your mind.

Even better, you could get someone to walk with you. This would give you a chance to talk to someone about everything that is going on which would be two coping skills in one.

Do you have a pet? Take the pet for a walk. Maybe this is most likely if it’s a dog, but I’ve seen people take cats or rabbits out before. This is a great way to give your dog some exercise that they desperately need and a way to bond with them.

Reading

Pick the genre of book that best works for you. Usually for coping skills, I would stay away from a self-help type of book, but this isn’t true for everyone. Typically, these get us thinking too much when we are trying to cope and relax. Therefore, a good novel would be the preferred way to go.

Reading allows you to get lost in a story that you can think about and imagine outside of the real world. We use our imagination and a different side of our brain to create the places and people that the book describes. There’s no room for thinking about what happened at work today or our to do list for this weekend.

You know what would be even better than just reading a book? Getting more senses involved. So how about reading a book while taking a nice warm bath? Or reading a book while sitting outside in the sun and smelling the fresh air? Yup, that’s even better. Of course, we can’t always to that so any moment you take for yourself reading is just fine.

Writing

Writing is also a helping coping skill but offers us so many options on how to use it. Let’s start with journaling. Many people think of journaling as something that a middle school girl should be doing to talk about drama. While that may be true, it can still be helpful as an adult.

There’s free journaling where you take a blank journal and just write about anything on your mind. There’s prompted journaling where you respond to a question or a sentence to help you think about something specific. These are both great options. Some options work better for certain people than others.

There are premade prompted journals that you can buy in stores or online now too. You can always look up great questions/prompts and just write them yourself. Or many you are more spontaneous, and you do both free journaling and prompted depending on what you are in the mood for. There’s no right or wrong here.

There are also other options for writing such as blogging, short-stories, poetry, novels, or letters. Some of these options are great to give true details about your life and be able to express yourself. Others like to use creative writing with interesting characters that take on different personalities and adventures that may replicate your life in some way or express things for you. Letters can be written to people without ever being seen or sent. You can say everything that you would never say to the person, never let them see, and destroy it without hurting anyone else but helping yourself.

Create something

Another great coping skill, and personally my favorite, is to create something. This can include arts & crafts, food, working on a car, or gardening. Arts & craft types of projects include so many different types of projects that you may be interested in. Painting, metal work, sewing, woodwork, resin, knitting, or glass blowing. These are just a few that I could think of but there are so many unique ideas out there. Schedule the time into your week if you have to or if you are having a rough day, change your plans and make time for your craft.

Have you been thinking about learning something new? Maybe now is the time. Find a YouTube video or a local class that you can attend.

Not sure what you want to do as a hobby? Try a few different classes or watch a few different videos and see what is the most interest. You may need to take some time exploring ideas before you have a new hobby. Therefore, your temporary hobby is finding a hobby.

Not sure what you need or if you are handling things the best way? Coping skills no longer working the same way that they used to? Maybe it’s time to get some more help from a therapist that has the training for this. Let me know what questions you have, if you want to see if I can be the therapist for you, or if I can help connect you to something that will be helpful. Find me here.