coping skills Archives - Musings by Danna

5 Best Self-Care Habits to Implement this Fall

I can’t believe that it’s finally Fall in this half of the world! I love Fall personally. It’s starting to cool down here, although it never gets too cold in Florida really.

Today I am going to be sharing with you five habits that I want to implement this Fall. Let me know in the comments if you will be trying out any of these this Fall or if you have any other ideas you would like to try out!

1. Spend more time being active.

I am so happy that the weather is cooling off (at least a little bit)! This means I can spend time in the great outdoors being active. My day job is as an elementary school teacher and I am enjoying recess with my students a whole lot more now that the weather is cooler.

I am also taking lots of time to play with my dog. Her name is Mia and she is a 1 year old blue merle goldendoodle puppy. She is wonderful and I love her so much! She has brought me so much joy these past few months since she was rehomed to me in May. We are still working on her leash skills but I am excited to be able to take her on more, longer walks.

I am also planning to start a gym membership soon! I am really excited to get back into the gym. I used to exercise all the time. Honestly, I was exercising way too much at one point in my life. But now, I have decided to embrace joyful movement versus trying to make my body look any certain way.

2. Spend time in my journal.

I have had the same journal for a couple years now. I got it from my grandparents a couple years back. While it’s not necessary to have a pretty journal, I do honestly believe that it can make it easier to get yourself motivated to journal with a pretty journal.

Journaling is integral to my self-care. It helps me to process my thoughts and get things out of my head when I am feeling overwhelmed. Don’t forget to grab my free journal prompts for mental health from this page if you’re looking for a place to start with journaling, or looking for a way to spruce up your current practice!

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3. Read a good book.

I used to be a voracious reader growing up, but as my mental health has become more complex, I have struggled with concentration which has made it harder for me to enjoy reading. In case any of you have struggled with that as well, here are a few things I have tried to get myself back into reading.

I read poetry. Since there are frequent opportunities to stop, I don’t have to concentrate for long. I read books with shorter chapters for the same reason.

I am also interested in accountability with reading, so I am thinking about starting up a book club again. It helps me to know that someone is going to know whether I read or not, and they’re going to care. I love discussing books so I want to be able to contribute.

4. Take a moment to reconnect with yourself.

For me, this often looks like meditating. I personally am a huge fan of Insight Timer. I use certain meditation music tracks from them for different situations. It is often helpful for me to get to sleep at night.

Something I am wanting to implement more of would be breathwork. This is a somatic practice that helps to release energy in your body. I have tried a couple pre-recorded sessions with Meleah from https://www.meleahrose.com/about and I highly recommend her sessions.

5. Give yourself permission to be creative.

This is something I have been working on a lot recently. It can be hard for me to be creative because of my perfectionistic nature, but I truly love my creative side and don’t want to dampen it due to perfectionism. I am working to challenge those thoughts.

One of the biggest ways I am creative is through my pen palling. I have pen pals all over the world and I enjoy getting to decorate their letters and write about what has been going on since we last spoke. It is truly one of the best hobbies I have ever had.

Another way I aim to be more creative this Fall is by taking time to draw on a more regular basis. I recently found my sketchbook and have been wanting to try out some new techniques. I have no formal training in art, but enjoy it nonetheless.

In conclusion

I hope you will join me in trying out some new habits this fall! Whether you plan to follow along with my habits or try your own thing, let me know how it goes. I would love to hear about it.

We can always continue our discussion in my Facebook group.

The 5 Best Distractions for Anxiety

Anxiety can feel completely overwhelming at times. Today, I am here to share with you my top 5 distractions for anxiety.

When to use distractions

But first, it’s important to talk about when to use distractions. It’s not a good permanent solution for anxiety because if you keep distracting from the problem, you never deal with it.

However, there are also times when you may feel too overwhelmed to deal with what’s causing the anxiety. Or, you may not be in a situation where you can immediately deal with it. In this case, distractions for anxiety are an appropriate course of action.

My top 5 distractions for anxiety

Now for the good part. Let’s talk about some of the best ways I know to distract yourself from anxiety.

1. Meditation

Meditation is a great way to distract yourself from anxiety. It can really help you focus on your breath. This can be hard when you’re feeling anxious, but is one of the best ways to deactivate fight or flight so you can really relax.

I recommend using the app Insight Timer if you are looking for guided meditations. There is a paid version but the free one works just fine. Some people also like Headspace, but there are more free guided meditations on Insight Timer.

2. Art

Art projects definitely distract me from my anxiety. Once I am focused on the art project, everything else seems to fade away from my attention. I become immersed in the world of creation.

It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to be something to get you out of that anxious feeling.

If you’re looking for ideas of types of art to do, you could draw, paint, collage, or even start an art journal.

3. Count backward from 300 by sevens

This is maybe not the most fun distraction, but it does keep your mind focused on something other than the anxiety.

It can be very useful, especially when you are in a place where your usual distractions are not available to you. For example, you could use this in public settings more easily than the other distractions.

4. Joyful movement

Are there any forms of movement or exercise that bring you joy? For me, this is going on a walk with my dog. I also enjoy hiking, although I haven’t gone lately.

For some people, it may be swimming or running. It could be playing volleyball or going surfing. Any kind of movement that is actually enjoyable for you counts.

Exercise produces endorphins, which can make you feel better. It can also help burn off the extra stress hormones. While I don’t encourage unhealthy amounts of exercise, I do think there are benefits to moving your body in a joyful way.

5. Cuddle a pet or stuffed animal.

Physically touching something, especially something soft, can help ease feelings of anxiety. Cuddling also releases hormones that make you feel better.

My dog, Lily, will perform deep pressure therapy when my anxiety gets too high to help me calm down by essentially putting pressure on me until my heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing are under control again.

But even if you don’t have a dog trained to do something specialized like that, spending time with your pet can still be quite helpful.

Final thoughts on anxiety distractions

Distractions are very useful in the moment when facing intense anxiety. However, I would also advise you to take the time to sit with your feelings when it is safe to do so.

This will allow you some time to explore where these feelings are coming from. It will also allow you to search for more permanent solutions so that you don’t need to use distractions so often.

I hope that you found this post to be useful! As always, I welcome any feedback.

Until next time,

Danna

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Distraction Coping Skills: The Coping Box Series Part 3

Welcome to part three of my series on creating a coping box! Today’s installment is about distraction coping skills.

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What are distraction coping skills?

Distraction coping skills are used when it is too difficult to face your emotions in the current moment. They are used to de-escalate your feelings to a level that is safe for you to deal with.

It is not advised to only use distraction coping skills because at some point you do need to process your emotions and allow yourself to feel.

However, it is a good option to have these skills for when expressive coping skills feel too overwhelming to think about.

Distraction coping skills for a coping box

Here are a few examples of distraction coping skills that you can put in a coping box:

Mind puzzles: Think of games like sudoku or crossword puzzles. These require a lot of mental energy to complete and therefore are a great distraction. My favorite are word searches.
Friendship bracelet supplies or other craft supplies: These keep your hands busy which is a great way to distract yourself.
Playlist of songs: It’s important to pick songs for your playlist that won’t keep you stuck in your unhappy state. Think of songs that make you feel like singing and dancing. Add those songs.
Gift cards: If you have a tendency to want to buy things when you’re sad, this can be a really good idea because it keeps you on a budget. You can only spend the amount on the gift card, so you aren’t going to spend money you don’t really have. You can buy a few gift cards here and there for yourself if it’s in your budget, or you could save any you get as gifts from others.
Book or religious text: Reading can be a great distraction from your current situation. Whether you prefer fiction, nonfiction, or religious texts, it’s a great way to keep your mind occupied and allow those difficult feelings to pass.
Playing cards: Teach yourself some new card tricks or learn how to play solitaire if you don’t already know.
Rubik’s cube: You can teach yourself the algorithm to solve it quickly if you want and see how fast you can get, or do it the long way if you’re not interested in learning an algorithm. It keeps your hands and mind occupied.
Write activities down on color coded popsicle sticks: I have activities color coded by what unpleasant emotion I want to go away. For example, calling a friend helps when I am feeling lonely. Make all the popsicle sticks for loneliness the same color so you can draw whatever color/feeling you are hoping to alleviate. This is good for activities that don’t really fit inside your coping box.

Some final thoughts

Thanks for joining me on this journey of creating a coping box. I hope you have found some new ideas that work for you.

Make sure to try and include things from each section (expressive, sensory, and distraction) in your coping box.

Did you miss one of the other posts in this series? You can find expressive coping skills here, and sensory coping skills here.

I hope you enjoyed this final part in my series on creating a coping box. As always, please leave a comment or share a link on social media if you enjoyed this post. You can always contact me here.

Until next time,

Danna

Don't forget to subscribe to our email list for weekly updates from Musings by Danna, plus 17 free journal prompts for mental health!

Sensory Coping Skills: The Coping Box Series Part 2

Sensory coping skills are a great thing to add to your coping box! There are so many options for what you could use, so today I will introduce you to a few.

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What are sensory coping skills?

Sensory coping skills are used to calm and ground oneself. Instead of focusing on expressing yourself, like we did in the last post, these coping skills are focused on the five senses.

These skills are great when you are feeling overwhelmed and need to calm down.

Sensory coping skills for a coping box

Here are some examples of sensory coping skills that you can keep in a coping box:

Lotion: This is great for tactile stimulation. Plus, you can choose lotions that smell good. You can use it to give yourself a gentle hand or foot massage while you rub it in as well.
Bath bomb: For those of you who find baths relaxing and have a bathtub where you live, this could be a great option. I have always wanted to try one!
Hard candies: These are a useful tool to give yourself a strong flavor to focus on. Make sure you keep them in a Ziploc or other closed container in case they melt as well as to avoid bugs.
Essential oils: There are many essential oils designed to be calming, such as lavender. Make sure to buy a quality brand, especially if you intend to apply it to your skin.
Stress ball: A personal favorite of mine! There are different versions. The one I currently use is shown in the picture above. It’s just a small, squishy stuffed buddy that I think was designed to clip on to a backpack or bag. Bonus points for this one because it’s bubble gum scented!
Fuzzy socks: I have so many pairs of fuzzy socks and I love them! They’re also great to seal in lotion if you applied it to your feet.
Play-Doh/Slime: The texture of Play-Doh and slime are very different, but both extremely satisfying. There are recipes online for how to make your own if you don’t have any.
Fidget spinner: A lot of people have had great luck with these for helping them stay calm in the midst of anxiety.
Spin top: There’s something immensely satisfying about spinning these and watching them go!

Some final thoughts

It’s great to have a mix of coping skills in your box, so try to pick a variety of things from different categories, such as expressive, sensory, and distraction. I will be talking about distraction coping skills in my next post.

Let me know if there are any other sensory coping skills you keep around that work well for you! You can find my contact info here.

I hope you enjoyed this second part of my series on putting together a coping box. As always, please leave a comment or share a link on social media if you enjoyed this post.

Until next time,

Danna

Don't forget to subscribe to our email list for weekly updates from Musings by Danna, plus 17 free journal prompts for mental health!

Expressive Coping Skills: The Coping Box Series Part 1

A coping box is a great thing to have when you need it. They’re great for when you find yourself overwhelmed by anxiety or depression. Today, I will be introducing expressive coping skills you can keep in your coping box.

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What is a coping box?

A coping box is what you would expect. It’s a box that has different coping skills ready for you to use.

It doesn’t really need to be a box. I have also used a bag in the past.

The coping skills may be expressive, sensory, or distraction-focused. It would be good to have a mix of all three. This post will be focused on the expressive skills.

Making a coping box

Making a coping box can be part of the fun! It’s nice to go back to something that you made and are proud of when you are struggling.

When I made mine (pictured above), I was given the box as part of a group therapy that I participated in. I then took it home and decorated it to bring back to our next meeting.

You should be able to find a box similar to mine at most craft stores. I painted it a happy color and then collaged it with magazine cut outs when the paint was dry. As a finishing touching, I added glitter Mod Podge.

Of course, you can decorate yours however you like. Just make sure the decorations are positive and conducive to recovery.

Expressive skills for a coping box

There are so many things you can put in your coping box! It’s a great way to have many materials you need for coping in one place.

Here are some examples of expressive coping skills/items you can have in your coping box:

Journal and a pen: This is a great way to be able to express your feelings by writing them down in something that you get to put away at the end.
Sketch pad and pencils: If you’re into art, this may be a great coping skill for you. Even if you aren’t, you’d be surprised at what can come out when you allow yourself to let go and try.
Collaging supplies: If you have some old magazines, you can cut out pictures and words that catch your eye. Then, you can store it in your box to collage with.
Journal prompts in a jar: If you can find a small jar, you can use it to collect journal prompts that you find online and print out or write down. This way, if you feel stuck when you want to try journaling, you have something to go off of. There are lots of great ideas on Pinterest.
Stationery: Stationery is one of my favorite things! I love to write letters to people. If you’re interested in writing letters to someone else or your future self, stationery is a great idea!
Paint: Try to find some small paints that will be easy to store in your box. I prefer acrylics because they dry quickly, but whatever paint you like will be a good choice. You can store small canvases or paper that can be painted on in your box.
Photography scavenger hunt: This one could be a lot of fun! Make a list of open-ended prompts for a photography scavenger hunt and put the list in your box. This could be as simple as taking a photo of something with a certain color or shape. It’s up to you how you get creative with the photos afterwards.

Some final thoughts on expressive coping skills

Most likely, all of these items will not fit in your box, especially once you start adding items from the next two categories.

That’s okay. Pick your favorites. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my series on making a coping box. As always, please leave a comment or share a link on social media if you enjoyed this post. If you want to contact me, you can find my information here.

Until next time,

Danna

Don't forget to subscribe to our email list for weekly updates from Musings by Danna, plus 17 free journal prompts for mental health!