Coping Skills for when you are feeling down or anxious

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There are so many more good coping skills that are not listed here, so go to google and search “best coping skills” and see what you find. These are just a short list to get your started to helping manage your emotions more effectively. You will need to find what works best for you. Most importantly, a therapist will be able to help you develop healthy and effective coping strategies.

Are you feeling depressed or anxious and have little to no coping skills to manage those blues or anxious thoughts? Finding a healthier way to cope with depression and/or anxiety, will not only help you get out of your head, but into your life! Try one new coping strategy each day to build more tools to put in your healthy living “toolbox”.

1. Talk to a friend or close family member

2. Try a new exercise or simply go for a walk outside or on your treadmill

3. Avoid procrastination and challenge yourself to doing something new (trying a new food, creating a new recipe, make travel plans to visit a new town)

4. Eat a healthy diet or make one day a week a vegetarian day

5. Get your creative juices flowing like writing, read a book, listening to or making music

6. Look for ways to volunteer in your community

7. Find a new hobby or something to start collecting

8. Get a good night’s sleep

9. Practice mindful meditation

10. Try to recognize negative thinking patterns and read a book about how to combat negative, intrusive thinking

11. Learn what triggers you and try to avoid those trigger patterns

12. Stick with a daily routine

13. Boost your self-esteem by getting a haircut, coloring your hair, or taking a good picture of yourself and posting it to FaceBook

14. Clean your house or organize a closet or bathroom

15. Redecorate your living room or basement to make it more cozy

16. Treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure

17. Keep a journal to track your moods

18. Talk to your therapist

19. Get in touch with your spirituality

20. Make your favorite playlist of music to listen to when you are feeling down or anxious

21. Let yourself cry to get out those pent-up emotions

22. Take a class on something that interests you

23. Follow doctor’s orders — Sometimes you can’t beat depression on your own, so you need to follow your doctor’s instructions by regularly taking your medication, attending follow-up appointments, and maintaining your physical health.

There are so many more good coping skills that are not listed here, so go to google and search “best coping skills” and see what you find. These are just a short list to get your started to helping manage your emotions more effectively. You will need to find what works best for you. Most importantly, a therapist will be able to help you develop healthy and effective coping strategies.

If you need help, please reach out to us at info@thinkhappylivehealthy.com or call us at (703) 942-9745.