"Buying Time" Coping Skills

When you suddenly find yourself really mad, frustrated, anxious, or sad, these Coping Skills help you calm down and make better decisions when triggered in the moment, instead of reacting poorly in ways that make the situation worse.

Go through the various tutorials below to find a few good "Buying Time" coping skills that you can easily practice and use in the moment.

Deep Breathing

The first "go-to" coping skill - learn how to take calming deep breaths to help you slow down and make better decisions. A lot of us think we know how to take deep breaths, but we often do it wrong. Make sure to go through this tutorial before deciding you already "know it."

Counting

Another "go-to" coping skill that is very simple to do at any time (and doesn't really stand out to the people you are around). This goes over various ways of counting to help you take your focus off of your emotional reactions.

Self Hand Massage

Don't have a stress ball or something to squeeze? No problem - give yourself a hand massage to calm your nerves (and it can even feel good).

Finger Tap

Another good "I don't have a stress ball" replacement. This has you tap your fingers together in various patterns to pull your focus from your emotions and to a calming exercise.

Reappraisal

This coping skill is particularly good for when you get frustrated or angry with another person based off of something they did. This involves changing how you think about the situation to be less likely to blame them or feel like they are trying to be a jerk.

"SLLS" - Stop. Look. Listen. Smell.

This coping skill is another good way to slow yourself down when your emotions start taking over. This involves focusing on your physical senses and the details of what's around you to avoid getting caught up in your emotional reactions.