Coping Skills For A Chaotic World, Let’s Practice!

Presented by: Chelsea Brown & Sahgahsega Atkinson

Coping Skills have been collected from various sources. See below techniques for the websites

to retrieve them from.

4 Square Breathing

http://www.drarmandohernandez.com/uploads/1/9/7/4/1974701/square_breathing_technique.pdf

(Retrieved 02/13/2020)

umash.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/4-7-8-Breathing.pdf (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

https://www.awaken.com/2016/12/pranayama-breathing-exercise-regular-practice-enhances-health-and-

wellbeing/ (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

1. Sit comfortably and remember to breathe throughout

the exercise

2. Focus on your toes

3. Curl your toes and focus on the feeling of tension,

hold for 5-10 seconds

4. Release your toes and focus on the feeling of the

tension leaving

5. Repeat steps 2-4 on other parts of your body such as

your calves, thighs, stomach, back, shoulders, arms,

hands, neck, and face.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Video from Therapist Aid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nZEdqcGVzo

STOPP

Carol Vivyan-Getselfhelp.co.uk

STOP !

Just pause for a moment

TAKE A BREATH

Notice your breathing as you breathe in and out. In through the

nose, out through the mouth.

OBSERVE

What thoughts are going through your mind right now?

Where is your focus of attention?

What are you reacting to?

What sensations do you notice in your body?

PULL BACK - PUT IN SOME PERSPECTIVE

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK!

What's the bigger picture?

Take the helicopter view.

What is another way of looking at this situation?

What advice would I give a friend?

What would a trusted friend say to me right now?

Is this thought a fact or opinion?

What is a more reasonable explanation?

How important is this? How important will it be in 6 months time?

It will pass.

PRACTISE WHAT WORKS - PROCEED

What is the best thing to do right now?

What is the most helpful thing for me, for others, for the situation?

What can I do that fits with my values?

Where can I focus my attention right now?

Do what will be effective and appropriate.

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/stopp.htm#HOW_TO_USE_STOPP (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

https://dialecticalbehavioraltherapy.wordpress.com/distress-tolerance-tipp-skills/ (Retrieved

02/13/2020)

Mindful Grounding

5 Senses

Name 5 colors you see.

Name 4 bodily

sensations/feelings.

What are 3 things you hear?

What are 2 things you smell?

What is 1 thing you taste?

Advanced questions:

1. What am I worried

about?

2. What is in my control?

3. What is one step I can

do about it now?

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/grounding-techniques.pdf (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/grounding-techniques.pdf (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

Unhelpful Thinking Habbits Carol Vivyan-Getselfhelp.co.uk

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/unhelpful.htm (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

Over the years, we tend to get into unhelpful thinking habits such as those described below. We

might favour some over others, and there might be some that seem far too familiar.

Once you can identify your unhelpful thinking styles, you can start to notice them – they very

often occur just before and during distressing situations. Once you can notice them, then that

can help you to challenge or distance yourself from those thoughts, and see the situation in a

different and more helpful way.

Summarise with: Fact or Opinion?

Mental Filter When we notice only what the filter allows us to notice, and we dismiss

anything that doesn’t ‘fit’. Like looking through dark blinkers or 'gloomy

specs', or only catching the negative stuff in our sponges, whilst anything more

positive or realistic is sieved, ignored, dismissed or we make excuses for

Am I only noticing the bad stuff? Am I filtering out the positives? Am I

wearing those ‘gloomy specs’? What would be more realistic? What am I

sponging, what am I sieving?

Mind-Reading

Assuming we know what others are thinking (usually about us)

Am I assuming I know what others are thinking? What’s the

evidence? Those are my own thoughts, not theirs. Is there another, more

balanced way of looking at it?

Prediction

Believing we know what’s going to happen in the future

Am I thinking that I can predict the future? How likely is it that that might

really happen?

Compare and despair

Seeing only the good and positive aspects in others, and

comparing ourselves negatively against them

Am I doing that ‘compare and despair’ thing? What would be a more

balanced and helpful way of looking at it?

Critical self

Putting ourselves down, self-criticism, blaming ourselves for events or situations

that are not totally our responsibility

There I go, that internal bully’s at it again. Would most people who really know

me say that about me? Is this something that I am totally responsible for? https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/unhelpful.htm (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

Shoulds and musts

Thinking or saying ‘I should’ (or shouldn’t) and ‘I must’ puts pressure on

ourselves, and sets up unrealistic expectations

Am I putting more pressure on myself, setting up expectations of myself

that are almost impossible? What would be more realistic?

Catastrophising

Imagining and believing that the worst possible thing will happen

OK, thinking that the worst possible thing will definitely happen isn’t really helpful

right now. What’s most likely to happen?

Emotional Reasoning

I feel bad so it must be bad! I feel anxious so I must be in danger

Just because it feels bad, doesn’t necessary mean it is bad. My feelings are just

a reaction to my thoughts – and thoughts are just automatic brain reflexes

Mountains and Molehills

Exaggerating the risk of danger, or the negatives. Minimising the odds of

how things are most likely to turn out, or minimising positives

Am I exaggerating the risk of danger, and minimising the evidence that it's

most likely to be okay? Or am I exaggerating the negative and minimising

the positives? How would someone else see it? What’s the bigger picture?

Evaluations / Judgements

Making judgements about events, ourselves, others, or the world, rather

than describing what we actually see and have evidence for

I’m making an evaluation about the situation or person. It’s how I make

sense of the world, but that doesn’t mean my judgements are always right

orhelpful. Is there another perspective?

Black and white thinking

Believing that something or someone can be only good or bad, right or

wrong, rather than anything in-between or ‘shades of grey’

Things aren’t either totally white or totally black – there are shades of

grey. Where is this on the spectrum?

Memories Current situations and events can trigger upsetting memories, leading us to

believe that the danger is here and now, rather than in the past, causing us

distress right now

This is just a reminder of the past. That was then, and this is now. Even

though this memory makes me feel upset, it’s not actually happening again right now. https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/unhelpful.htm (Retrieved 02/13/2020)

I Statements

I feel __________

(your feeling)

When you______________

(their action)

Next could you _____________

(prefer instead)

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/i-statements.pdf (Retrieved 02/13/2020)