Coping Skills

Hello Trailblazers,

With flex model schedule, we will be seeing many of you in person again soon! Although this is exciting, it will be a big transition from 100% remote learning. Major transitions can be triggers for stress and anxiety. Especially with Covid-19 still being an issue we are grappling with. Everyone deals with stress and anxiety on different levels. Behaviors and thinking processes used to handle these issues are called coping skills or coping mechanisms. Examples of coping skills can range from things like getting fresh air, doing yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices, to addressing the issue causing stress head on and solving the problem. Take a moment to think of the mechanisms you use when you’re under stress.

There are two types of coping skills, problem focused skills and emotional focused skills. Problem focused skills are centered around tactics you can use to address your stress directly and solve any problems around it. For instance, perhaps you are stressed for an upcoming test that you feel prepared for. A problem focused skill to address your stress would be actions such as reviewing material with your teacher beforehand, making flashcards or other studying tools, or even just creating a plan that addresses testing material. Problem focused skills should be utilized in situations where you have some level of control on the outcome. Because the test is related to your academic performance, you can take some control of the situation by increasing your performance abilities via coping skills like the studying examples we used.

Emotion focused skills are behaviors or thought patterns that distract your mind from the stress at hand. Emotion focused skills should be utilized when you feel there is a lack of control over the situation and the outcome is unchangeable. Some examples include the passing of someone close, receiving bad news, decisions that others make that affect us, or the way others feel about us. Examples of emotion focused skills include:

· Play with a pet

· Spend time in nature

· Clean the house (or a closet, drawer, or area)

· Read a book

· Meditate

· Use aromatherapy

· Play a game

· Cook a meal or prepare a snack

· Engage in a hobby

While we can do many of these things at home, we cannot always do these things in school during class. The following link includes some physical and mental activities you can use anywhere while coping with stress! What are some other things outside of the video and this worksheet that you could utilize while feeling stressed?