90 Coping Strategies

129A9686.jpg
 

We’re often asking during a counseling session for coping skills and strategy recommendations.

Our answer: Whatever helps you cope!

Coping strategies can be used to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression, dissociation, anger, sadness, and more. We often explain the difference between “healthy and “unhealthy” coping, and recommend creating a list of 15-20 healthy coping strategies that help you feel calm, relaxed, energized, and happy.

Here are 99 suggested coping skills:

  1. Exercise (running, walking, weight lifting, boxing, etc.)

  2. Write (poetry, journal, book, blog)

  3. Doodle or draw

  4. Be with others

  5. Watch your favorite TV show or movie

  6. Post online or read other’s posts that you relate to

  7. Word-search, Crossword, Puzzles, Sudoku

  8. Do schoolwork

  9. Play a musical instrument

  10. Sing

  11. Paint your nails

  12. Take a shower or bath

  13. Star gaze

  14. Punch a punching bag, or practice shadow boxing

  15. Cover yourself with Band-aids where you feel like self harming

  16. Cry

  17. Play with your pet

  18. Go Goodwill shopping

  19. Take a nap if you’re tired

  20. Clean or organize

  21. Knit or sew

  22. Read a good book

  23. Listen to music

  24. Meditate

  25. Go somewhere in public that you enjoy

  26. Bake

  27. Paint

  28. Rip paper into itty bitty pieces

  29. Shoot hoops

  30. Jump on a trampoline

  31. Write a letter

  32. Plan out your dream room

  33. Hug a stuffed animal

  34. Focus on something pretty (quote, art, nature)

  35. Dance it out

  36. Make hot chocolate or a smoothie

  37. Play with modeling clay or dough

  38. Build a pillow fort

  39. Go for a long drive

  40. Complete a task you’ve been putting off

  41. Draw on yourself with washable marker

  42. Try a new hobby

  43. Look up recipes and cook a meal

  44. Smell flowers

  45. Build something

  46. Pray

  47. Write a list of blessings

  48. Read the Bible

  49. Visit a friend

  50. Watch an old happy movie

  51. Contact a hotline or your therapist

  52. Talk to someone close to you

  53. Get a massage

  54. Ride a bike

  55. Feed birds or ducks

  56. Color

  57. Memorize a song or poem

  58. Stretch

  59. Search for funny memes

  60. Shop online without buying anything

  61. Watch fish swimming

  62. Play the “15 minute game” where you avoid something for 15 minutes and when time is up you start again

  63. Plan an event (party, wedding, prom, etc.)

  64. Plant

  65. Hunt for cars or your dream home online

  66. Sort through/edit your camera reel

  67. Give yourself a facial

  68. Play with your favorite childhood toy or game

  69. Collect something

  70. Play a video/computer game

  71. Clean up trash at the park

  72. Scroll and read the Atlanta Wellness Collective blog

  73. Text or call a friend

  74. Look up new words and use them

  75. Write an “I love you because…” letter to yourself

  76. Rearrange your room

  77. Write a letter to someone that you may never send

  78. Smile

  79. Play with your kids/siblings/neighbors

  80. Go for a mindful walk (noticing sights, sounds, smells around you)

  81. Put together a puzzle

  82. Yoga

  83. Try to do a cartwheel or back bend

  84. Learn a new language

  85. Move everything in your room to a new spot

  86. Play a sport with friends

  87. Hug

  88. Search online for new songs or artists

  89. Make a list of goals for the week, month, quarter, year, 5 years, etc.

  90. Perform a random act of kindness

 

VISIT US ON INSTAGRAM @atlwell

Previous
Previous

Featured in: Shoutout Atlanta

Next
Next

How To Set Healthy Boundaries