SOS: Healthy Coping Strategies

Somedays are just hard. We know what to do, but can bring ourselves to do it. Or maybe we don’t even know where to start. What do we do? On this page, you can find ways support yourself when you’re in all sorts of bad states. Read about and explore them. Start by thanking yourself for getting to this page. It might feel like a small gesture, but you’ve shown that you want to be kind to yourself.

The strategies are presented from wobbly to anxious and even numb states. You can continuously revisit this page, as I will update the guidance with more tips and meditations.

You’re feeling wobbly. Even though everything seems to be well, something feels a little off. Not to worry! Sometimes, we have to consciously balance a bit. If you don’t feel comfortable in this state, there are a few things you can do. Try some yoga poses to increase trust. You can take a walk and combine this with a task, like running errands. Read a book you love. Make yourself a cup of tea and call someone to ask about their day and maybe talk about how you feel. Consciously balancing is mostly about doing small things that help you pay attention to your feelings and make you feel connected to yourself and your surroundings again. Try to find out what works for you. Experiment!

You’re feeling Distracted. So, what’s going on? Something has thrown you off balance. Try to find a moment of quietness. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and be honest. What happened? Instead of forcing yourself to keep going, find ways to take a break and connect to yourself. Your body and mind are trying to tell you something. If you’re afraid that what’s distracting you will overwhelm you once you let it in, ask someone to sit with you. If you’re simply distracted by your phone or something alike, put it away. Make a list of what really matters to you today, this week, this month. Everyday, start doing the important things first. Afterwards, you can reward yourself with the distracting thing. But maybe you don’t even want it anymore.

You’re feeling Rushed. Your actions are fast and you’re running, but without function. By itself, rushed isn’t a bad state. But if everything needs to happen now now now, it has become too much. There are multiple ways to slow yourself down.

The external way. Do you have too many responsibilities? Make a list of everything that’s on your mind. Is it too long? Remove everything that isn’t truly important. This might be a bit hard, but really, it’s better in the long run. We’d rather see you healthy and slow than super fast but exhausted.
The internal way. Ask yourself: for whom or what are you rushing? What reason or voice makes you do everything so fast, and is this fair? The answer might be confronting. However, if the reason you’re rushing is a pattern instead of an exception, it will soak up all your energy. Be brave and say no. You can right it down, scream in a pillow or just cancel that meeting. You’re already enough.
The interactional way. Rushing can become a way of life. At some point, it becomes normal to you. But it isn’t. Practice slowing down by doing simple tasks with a lot of attention. Bake something by following every step thoroughly. Read a text out loud, slowly. It might be surprising how hard this is once rushing has become a pattern. But no stress, practice really helps.

You’re feeling Anxious.

You’re feeling Numb.