Coping and Mindfulness
Coping Skills
Coping skills are the tools you use to deal with big feelings and stress. They can be good or bad: Good coping skills like talking to a friend or trusted adult will help you feel better and find a way to deal with your feelings. Bad coping skills like yelling might help you feel better now, but they don't help you deal with your feelings and might make things worse (yelling can upset other people).
It's up to you to choose good coping skills. You probably already have some tools in your toolbox, but it doesn't hurt to have more! The websites, activities, and other resources in the Coping and Mindfulness section are here to help you put more tools in your toolbox. Click the links to the right for more information about stress and coping skills and be sure to visit my Tools for Managing Feelings page for more feelings and coping resources.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness can look like many things, but it always has one or more of the following parts:
Being aware of your thoughts, emotions, and the feelings in your body.
Keeping your focus on the here and now instead of worrying about what happened this morning/yesterday/last week or what's happening later today or next month.
Being okay with what you're feeling- it's okay to be sad, angry, disappointed, proud, happy, or any other emotions! Whether something small happened, something big happened, or nothing happened, feelings are normal.Â
Scientific studies have shown that mindfulness improves memory, focus, patience, depression, anxiety, stress levels, school performance, control of your emotions, and more.
Mindfulness should be a tool in everyone's coping skills toolbox, but it's also helpful if you practice (yes, it takes practice!) a few times a week. Ready to give mindfulness a try? Visit one of the following sections of my website to get started!
