Coping Statements

Your thoughts can be your worst enemy or your greatest ally; the difference lies in your awareness of the thoughts and the effects they can have. Identifying unhealthy thoughts and having alternatives on hand will allow you to regain control of your thoughts and, as a result, your emotions.

Review the coping statements listed below and select 3-5 that you feel the most comfortable with (these can be changed at any time or tailored according to your needs). For maximum benefit write down your chosen statements on a small card or an easily accessible note in your phone and rehearse the statements during times of low need (this will increase your chances of recalling them in times of high need).

Anxiety/Stress

“Fighting this won’t help me to feel better in this situation. I will breathe my way through this feeling, and it will pass.”

“This is uncomfortable, but I know that I can handle it.”

“If I can relax through these feelings, I can learn to control my emotions.”

“Feeling anxious doesn’t prevent me from handling this situation.”

“My mind is working against me. If I can gain perspective, I might be able to see an alternative view that can help meidentify the positives.”

“This is a great opportunity to pause, check my SUDs, and engage a coping strategy.”

“I’ve done this before, and I know that I can do it again. What did I do last time that may help me now?”

“Worrying about the future is just a way of punishing myself twice.”

"Stressing about this is not going to make things any easier, if anything it will make it harder. I just need to take a pause, close my eyes, and focus my thoughts on the task at hand.” 

“I take pride in the work that I do, so I know that I will do the best I can.”

“Nothing serious is going to happen; I know that I’m not in danger.”

“I have survived panic attacks before, and I can survive this one as well.”

Anger

“I am in charge of my emotions; they are not in control of me.”

“It is possible for me to experience my emotions without becoming my emotions.”

Overwhelmed

“There is a lot going on right now, but there is always something that I can control. What could it be?” 

“When the world feels like it’s too big to handle, I will come back into my bubble of control and find something that I can achieve.”

“Not all stress is bad. What kind of stress am I feeling? Am I calm – there’s no stress at all; Am I feeling eustress – I’m energised, motivated, and focused; Or am I feeling distress – fatigued, exhausted, poor health, and burnout?”

“Just as people don’t jump all the hurdles at once, I don’t need to overcome every obstacle at the same time. I just need to breathe and figure out which one to start with.”

"What is the next best step that I can take?"

"Have I reflected on how far I have come, or am I focusing on how long is left to go?"

Guilt

"Thank you for your patience." Instead of "I'm sorry I'm late"

The take home from these is:

1. Positively gear your thinking - the mind cannot compute a negative concept without out first processing the positive counterpart. i.e. The phrase "Don't think of a purple elephant" first requires you to think of a purple elephant so that you know what not to think about. Sounds like a waste of time to me! It's also opening the risk of reinforcing what you don't want. Be mindful of your language and reinforce the positives to simplify your thoughts.
2. Be mindful of absolute language - it can back you into a corner that you don't want to be in.
3. Language is powerful - use it wisely, both to yourself and the people you are speaking with.
4. There is always something that you can control.

~ Be Kind. Be Well. Until next time, Amylia