On this page you will find various coping skills that can help you when you are struggling with a mental health concern. If one doesn't help, then try the next coping skills. There are many coping skills to choose from so do not lose hope. Remember there is ALWAYS HOPE even when it feels like hope is far away.
What can you do at home when you are bored?
If you watch the video above, it will talk about what you can do at home when you are bored. There's more to home life than watching Netflix and videogaming. So here's a list of some things that you can do:
1. Go for a walk or a jog
2. Exercise (jog, elliptical, squats, pushups, stretching)
3. Take pictures around your community (nature, antique items, items that you are interested in). Use your phone or your camera.
4. Spend time with your pets (play fetch with your dog, take your dog for a walk, pet your cat/dog).
5. Hobbies - spend time working on your favourite hobby.
- knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, artwork - drawing/sketching, photography, mechanics, landscaping.
5. Clean/Organize your room or any part of the house.
6. Participate in household chores (wash the dishes, sweep or mop the floors, vacuum, declutter, take out the garbage).
7. Go out in your yard (clean up the yard, landscape the yard)
8. Play a musical instrument
9. Organize video chats with your friends on social media.
10. Download new music from apps
11. Bake/Cook something for you and/or your family.
12. Do your nails or your hair.
13. Text or Phone a friend.
14. Write in your journal. Write a short story or script.
15. Read a book.
16. Play board games or outdoor games.
If you watch the video above, it will talk about what you can do at home when you are bored. There's more to home life than watching Netflix and videogaming. So here's a list of some things that you can do:
1. Go for a walk or a jog
2. Exercise (jog, elliptical, squats, pushups, stretching)
3. Take pictures around your community (nature, antique items, items that you are interested in). Use your phone or your camera.
4. Spend time with your pets (play fetch with your dog, take your dog for a walk, pet your cat/dog).
5. Hobbies - spend time working on your favourite hobby.
- knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, artwork - drawing/sketching, photography, mechanics, landscaping.
5. Clean/Organize your room or any part of the house.
6. Participate in household chores (wash the dishes, sweep or mop the floors, vacuum, declutter, take out the garbage).
7. Go out in your yard (clean up the yard, landscape the yard)
8. Play a musical instrument
9. Organize video chats with your friends on social media.
10. Download new music from apps
11. Bake/Cook something for you and/or your family.
12. Do your nails or your hair.
13. Text or Phone a friend.
14. Write in your journal. Write a short story or script.
15. Read a book.
16. Play board games or outdoor games.
Box Breathing: A Coping Skill for Anxiety and Anger
It's very simple: Breathe in through your nose while counting to four in your head. Hold the breath for four counts. Breathe out through your mouth while counting to four in head. Pause for 4 counts.
Do it for as long as you need. There is no set number of breaths that you need to calm down. It depends on the person and the nature of the circumstance.
It's very simple: Breathe in through your nose while counting to four in your head. Hold the breath for four counts. Breathe out through your mouth while counting to four in head. Pause for 4 counts.
Do it for as long as you need. There is no set number of breaths that you need to calm down. It depends on the person and the nature of the circumstance.
The Body Scan meditation 'involves focusing your full attention on each part of the body, noticing whatever sensations arise, accepting them, and sending kind and compassionate thoughts to each area of the body. Through regular practice, it can help teens enter deep states of relaxation, accept their body as it is, work effectively with their body sensations and feelings of discomfort and pain, and increase powers of concentration and mindfulness.' - from the book, 'Mindfulness Skills for Kids & Teens: A Workbook for Clinicians & Clients with 154 Tools, Techniques, Activities & Worksheets' by Debra Burdick, pg. 219
This exercise is discussed in the video called 'Emotions and Physical Sensations' posted on this site.
This exercise is discussed in the video called 'Emotions and Physical Sensations' posted on this site.
Your Emotions and their Physical Sensations
Being aware of the physical sensations that you feel with specific emotions will help you to be able to recognize your anxiety, fear, worry, frustration and/or anger before it gets to the level where you find it harder to regulate yourself. For example, when you are angry you may experience a faster heart rate, furrowed brow, tense arms and legs, clenched fists, flushed face etc. As soon as you recognize the first physical sensation of anger in your body, that's when you should choose a tool to help you calm down before the emotion becomes VERY intense. Listen to video to hear it explained so that you can better help yourself.
Being aware of the physical sensations that you feel with specific emotions will help you to be able to recognize your anxiety, fear, worry, frustration and/or anger before it gets to the level where you find it harder to regulate yourself. For example, when you are angry you may experience a faster heart rate, furrowed brow, tense arms and legs, clenched fists, flushed face etc. As soon as you recognize the first physical sensation of anger in your body, that's when you should choose a tool to help you calm down before the emotion becomes VERY intense. Listen to video to hear it explained so that you can better help yourself.
Tips for Better Sleep
When we get a good sleep, it helps us our day to day functioning. When we do not get good sleep or the amount of sleep that we need, it is hard to control our emotions, make decisions, and logically reason.