Healthy Coping Skills

by Natasha J. Stewart

Healthy Coping Skills are a necessary part of our everyday life.  We usually use coping skills without even realizing that we are.  However, when emotional issues arise such as self-injury, suicidal thoughts, addiction, depression, etc... it is more important than ever that we use coping skills to keep ourselves safe and healthy! 

You might wonder how someone can believe going on a walk or drawing a picture can help- the point of coping skills is not that they will cure your problems or take away the urges, but that they will occupy your mind and time until the unsafe feelings pass. 

The key is this:  You Will Not Feel That Way Forever!  If you can safely wait through the urges- They Will Pass!  Every time you say NO to injurying, the addiction loses power!  You might not be able to tell at first, but as time passes, the urges will become less intense and farther apart!

A List of 117 Healthy Coping Skills...

Download a printable list of these healthy coping skills here

1. Practice deep breathing- in through your nose, out through your mouth
2. Do a puzzle
3. Draw, paint or color
4. Listen to uplifting or inspirational music
5. Blow bubbles
6. Squeeze an ice cube tightly
7. Go to the library
8. Visit the animal shelter
9. Pet your cat or dog
10. Clean or organize a space
11. Make your bed
12. Play a game on the computer
13. Turn on all the lights
14. Sit in the sun and close your eyes
15. Throw rocks into the woods
16. Suck on a peppermint
17. Chew gum
18. Sip a cup of hot chocolate or tea
19. Compliment someone
20. Read
21. Listen to inspirational tapes
22. Practice a relaxation excercise
23. Jump up and down
24. Write yourself a nice note and carry it in your pocket
25. Play solataire
26. Do the dishes
27. Go for a brisk 10 minute walk
28. Dance to music
29. Call a friend
30. Invite a friend over
31. Organize your CD's
32. Write postive affirmations on note cards & decorate
33. Go outside and listen to nature
34. Rearrange your bedroom
35. Work in the garden or flower bed
36. Plant a flower in a pot
37. Sew, knit, crochet
38. Do yoga
39. Watch a funny or inspirational movie
40. Make a collage with pictures of your favorite things
41. Make a collage showing a positive future
42. Journal
43. Write a poem
44. Paint your nails(not red or black)
45. Make a gratitude list
46. Scream into a pillow
47. Swim, run, jog, bike
48. Jump rope
49. Smell a flower & touch the petals
50. Play a musical instrument
51. Do a good deed
52. Shoot hoops
53. Sing your favorite song outloud
54. Count backwards from 500
55. Brush your hair 100x
56. Squeeze a stress ball
57. Use some good smelling lotion
58. Think of 3 food for every letter or the alphabet without skipping any
59. Write down how your feeling & why, read 1x & put it away
60. Visualization- close your eyes and imagine yourself in a beautiful place- how does it smell, what do you see, what do your hear, what do you feel...
61. Write something positive about yourself for every letter of the alphabet- decorate it & hang it where you will see it every day
62. Slowly eat one piece of your favorite candy
63. Write a letter to someone
64. Do extra credit homework
65. Volunteer
66. Offer to walk a neighbor's dog
67. Find a safe, quiet place to sit & stay there until you know you can be safe
68. Look at pictures in a nature magazine
69. Write a fairy tale
70. Draw a cheerful picture outside with sidewalk chalk
71. Pray
72. Recite the serenity prayer
73. Print your favorite Bible verse on a card & memorize it
74. Decorate your locker
75. Decorate your mirror with positive affirmations and your favorite photos
76. Do a crossword, seek & find, or sudoko puzzle
77. Visit an inspirational website (try www.values.com)
78. Write a thank you note to your best friend
79. Call a hotline
80. Put on your favorite outfit
81. Do your makeup
82. Read the comics
83. Draw a cartoon
84. String a necklace
85. Make friendship bracelets & give one to someone who looks lonely
86. Slowly sip a glass of cold water
87. Go on a walk & take photos of flowers on a cellphone or digital camera- challenge yourself to find 15 different kinds
88. Bite your pillow as hard as you can
89. Talk to a stuffed animal
90. Clean 1 room of your house
91. Ask a friend to meet you at the park
92. Wash & style your hair
93. Go to McDonalds & order a ice cream cone off the dollar menu
94. Wash & style your hair
95. Buy or check out a fun magazine & read it front-to-back
96. Window shop
97. Shred blank sheets of paper
98. Talk into a tape recorder
99. Play a board game with a friend or sibling
100. Throw a foam ball at an empty wall
101. Stare at a picture- notice all the details & create a story using those elements
102. Play hacky sack
103. Draw random designs & color them in
104. Turn your designs into cards
105. Go to the movies
106. Go to the mall & people watch
107. Write a list of compliments about a friend or teacher & give it to them
108. Make & decorate a foam or paper frame for your favorite photo
109. Write an inspirational quote on your mirror with an eyeliner pencil
110. Read a joke book
111. Pick out 5 of your favorite jokes & tell them to 3 friends
112. Play with silly putty or modeling clay
113. Make an inspirational banner for your room
114. Blog
115. Write poetry
116. Submit your best piece of poetry to this website
117. Think of 10 more coping skills to add to this list

Print this list- decorate it & hang it where you can see it.

Download a printable list of these coping skills here

These are just suggestions for healthy coping skills - you may find some that you really like or some that don't help at all!  Try enough of them until you have a list of at least 10-15 solid coping skills that you can turn to in times of crisis!  Then do them even if you don't want to!  Stay safe!!

~Natasha

More Help for Teen Girls...

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