4 (Healthy) Coping Skills to Try This Week
Last month, I wrote about healthy and unhealthy coping skills that help deal with life’s stressors.
If you’re looking for tangible replacements for unhealthy coping skills, or you’ve just been feeling stressed out, anxious, or just stuck in a rut, here are four healthy coping skills you can try out this week:
1. Get active. I know, I know — you see this suggestion everywhere. But there’s a valid reason why, and I’m sure you already know what that is: exercise boosts feel-good chemicals in the brain (and in a natural way vs. a way that might leave you hungover tomorrow). Any sort of movement can be a helpful and healthy distraction, even if it’s walking around at the grocery store, doing a load of laundry, or walking for 20 minutes around the block.
Start small and work your way up, set a tangible goal (e.g., “Run 3 miles by September”), find an accountability buddy, or join a gym (many gyms in Alexandria, MN offer free trials — take advantage of them!)
2. Listen to music. While this is an infamous coping skill for break-ups and hurt feelings (cue Taylor Swift), it can also be a useful coping skill for other unpleasant feelings and difficult life situations. Sometimes what we need in the moment is to just connect with what’s going on internally and truly feel it — because avoiding emotions leads to those emotions building up, and eventually, we feel worse.
And don’t be alarmed if the tears start flowing. Crying is a natural human response that can act as an emotional release and help reduce stress. However, be mindful of feeling your feelings and moving through them vs. ruminating over your thoughts and feelings and getting stuck in them.
You can also go the other direction and listen to feel-good music that helps distract you and get your energy up. Maybe it’s a workout playlist or throwback tunes that bring back joyful memories. Whatever music you listen to, make it work for you!
3. Take a bath or shower. This is an awesome coping skill to help hit the reset button, and it can also be an opportunity to practice mindfulness. A simple mindfulness activity that I suggest to clients is to engage the senses while you’re in the shower. Noticing the sensation of the warm water, the smell of the body wash, the sound of the water drops hitting the tile… it’s a simple way to practice mindfulness that can help you tune into the moment.
Baths/showers have also been linked to improved mental health. Taking a warm shower or bath naturally relaxes your muscles and thoughts, and can reduce stress and anxiety. Make it fun by adding some soothing Epsom salts or that bath bomb you were gifted back in 2019.
4. Watercolor painting. There’s something about creating that feels so cathartic and relaxing. If you’re like me, maybe you cringe when you think of making art. But I strongly encourage you to give it a shot — it doesn’t matter what your art looks like. What matters is how it makes you feel
I recommend watercolor painting if you’re just starting out. A creative prompt I use in sessions is to play your favorite song (or a song that speaks out to you in the moment), and paint along to the feelings that arise with the music. Another prompt is to paint a landscape of your thoughts and feelings in the moment. Or just free paint, and see what happens.
Try these out, and see what sticks. If you’re a millennial/young adult looking for extra support in learning how to manage anxiety, check out Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Alexandria, MN, or schedule a 20-minute phone consultation so we can connect and see if we would be a good fit.
