Therapists talk A LOT about coping skills!
>> We really, really do love them! <<
But what are they and how do we use them?
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If you prefer to read, here’s what you need to know about DBT Coping Skills:
Coping skills are the things that you do help hang in there through the intensity or discomfort of an uncomfortable situation, moment, or experience.
This video post will provide a brief overview of the four main categories of coping skills according to Dialectical Behavior Therapy's distress tolerance module.
DISTRACTION SKILLS
Use these skills when a situation or problem is causing you so much distress that:
you can't shake the thought, urge, or feeling
the thoughts keep circling or lingering
you just need to get some space away from the problem
We can’t always get away physically, so distractions are a great way to get away for some emotional space.
Please remember that when it comes to distraction, we don't want to be using this as procrastination.
That is avoiding the problem.
You should use Distraction skills with the intention that once you have gotten some relief we will go back with a cooler, calmer, collected head to solve the problem.
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2. SELF SOOTHING SKILLS
Our physical responses (sight, smell, taste, sound + physical touch) communicate our emotional experiences.
Depending on how intense they are, we may need to calm or soothe our physical responses to emotional distress.
By focusing on self-soothing one or more of these areas,
you can help decrease those physical responses,
which can then decrease the emotional experience.
This will allow you to go back and solve the problem if you still need to.
3. IMPROVE THE MOMENT SKILLS
These skills are great because you can take them and use them literally everywhere.
They focus on helping you change your mindset or perspective which is great when you can't change what's happening, or you don't have much control in the immediacy of what's going on.
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IMPROVE the moment skills can help you hang in there by changing the way you think about these circumstances so that then you can effect change in other ways.
While it's healthy to feel a little down and sorry for ourselves, it’s easy to get stuck in how awful a circumstance is.
Being able to improve your moment by thinking about that situation a little bit differently can improve your mood.
4. CRISIS SURVIVAL SKILLS
These tend to be a favorite skillset amongst the teens I work with! They are really great to use when:
you feel an anxiety or panic attack coming on
you're feeling super depressed
you need to pull yourself out of a mood
You can even use these when you just need to feel better really fast.
Now, none of these coping strategies are meant to be used alone on their own. They are meant to help you hang in there through the intensity of the experience. Then when you’re back to a more manageable level, you can solve the problem.
If you are starting out pretty high on that zero to 10 scale, it's gonna take more than one or two coping strategies to get you down to a more manageable level. You should have at least 6-8 coping strategies that you can go between to help during these experiences.
Are you still struggling with what coping strategies work best for your needs? I highly recommend you sign up for the Coping Skills Crash Course.
In this 2hr online workshop, you’ll learn:
✔️ The 4 types of Coping Skills you need to SURVIVE problematic thoughts, urges + emotions
✔️ How to CHOOSE the right strategy based on what you’re struggling with most
✔️ What the heck a COPING AHEAD PLAN is and how to create your personalized, unique plan
… and much, much, MORE!!
Tell me….
I hope that you found this information valuable and helpful and if you did, let me know in the comments over on my YouTube channel- you can click here to go to this video.
And please be sure to share this video because you never know who you could be helping in the process.
Want even more positive influences in your teen's life? Teen Girls Therapy Group is a weekly space where your teen girl can connect with others dealing with anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem. By talking and learning together, they learn to feel better about the relationships they have with themselves and others.
If you want to secure your teen's spot- schedule your complimentary 15-min parent phone screening by completing the contact form here.
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