Emotional Self-Care
o Do a brain dump
o Talk with a friend or someone who’s not involved
o Journal frequently about it—take time to explore what’s going on
o Talk to a pet about it
o Go somewhere you feel safe and cry
o Write a song, poem, or short story about it
o Practice mindfulness or meditate
o Prayer, reach out to higher power
o Read sacred or inspirational text
o Use an app to track your emotions
o Take a moment to pay attention to your feelings, write about them, or draw a mind map, or notice the different parts such as an angry part or a proud part and acknowledge each of the parts being present at the same time.
o Take a moment to give yourself some credit for all you have accomplished
o Express emotion through art or music
o Paint quickly focusing on color
o Use clay to shape your feelings abstractly
o Create a music playlist focused on an emotion
o Play an instrument, choose song that fits your emotion
Disclaimer: Coping skill ideas were adapted from www.therapyinanutshell.com
Self-Care Using the Five Senses
Smell:
● Slowly smell a favorite scent- cinnamon, vanilla, perfume- you can use an
essential oil diffuser or put a drop into a diffuser necklace or piece of paper
● Put on some scented lotion
● Use an essential oil
● Use a Bath Bomb to make a scented bath
Touch:
● Hold a warm rice pack or heating pad
● Take a Hot Bath
● Shower in the dark
● Pet an animal
● Wash your face with very cold water
● Hold an ice cube and notice what cold feels like
● Feeling a comfortable texture (like a child holding a blanket or an adult holding a
rosary, rubbing something smooth like a stone or a piece of satin)
Taste:
● Drink a hot drink slowly
● East a small treat slowly, savoring the taste
Sound
● Go someplace very quiet and sit very still
● Go for a walk by yourself with headphones on, listening to music you love.
Proprioceptive (Body Movement)
● Go for a walk
● Exercise or play a sport
● Stretch your muscles
● Do one yoga pose
● Swing on a swingset
● Rock in a rocking chair
● Step outside for a breath of fresh air
Disclaimer: Coping skill ideas were adapted from www.therapyinanutshell.com
Relaxation Ideas
● Simply taking deep, slow breaths can trigger the relaxation response
● Yoga, Tai Chi, and exercise can also be relaxing
● Progressive Muscle Relaxation
● Use guided imagery to imagine yourself in a calming place
● Taking time to rest and recharge, a few minutes throughout your day, a few hours
throughout your week.
● Taking vacations
● Go get a manicure, pedicure, massage, acupuncture, or chiropractic adjustment
● Hug someone you love for 10 seconds
● Giver yourself a hug or a self-massage
● Lay on your floor on your back for five minutes and just breathe, try to make your
stomach go up and down with each breath.
● Do an activity that you find immersive and calming- for some people this is
sports, for others is a hobby, one of my relaxing hobbies is metal detecting. When
I’m out metal detecting I don’t worry about things going on at home because my
mind is completely focused on the task at hand, and then when I’m done I go
home feeling more relaxed and energized than before.
● Try making yourself some comfort food, like grilled cheese and tomato soup. The
process of cooking and eating a delicious meal can be great for boosting your
mood.
● Take care of your body in a way that makes you feel good- paint your nails, do
your hair, put on a face mask, etc
● Time in nature, soak in some sunlight
● Gardening, or another repetitive task that is soothing like knitting.
● For many people, physical movement is relaxing when the problem is
emotional-so for those of us who work at desks, relaxation may look like mowing the lawn or chopping wood, building something with our hands, etc.
Disclaimer: Coping skill ideas were adapted from www.therapyinanutshell.com
Social Self-Care
- Call a friend
- Volunteer for a local charity
- Join an online forum
- Take a class
- Join a local walking group
- Attend a meetup interest group
- Visit a farmer's market
- Check out a new restaurant with friends
- Schedule lunch break with coworkers
- Go to group therapy
- Go to the gym with a friend
- Start a book club
- Sign up for a dance class
- Learn a new language
- Host a game night
- Join a bird watching group
- Create a gratitude gift for a friend
- Take a yoga class
- Attend church or Bible study
- Host a potluck dinner
Physical Self-Care
- Take a shower
- Brush teeth
- Comb your hair/get a hair cut
- Wash your face
- Take multivitamins
- Eat some fruit and veggies
- Exercise such as walking, weight lifting, cardio, yoga
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Meditation
- Taking deep breaths
- Practice good sleep hygiene
- Go to the doctor regularly
- Switch to non-toxic personal care items
- Drink water
- Take probiotics
Self-Care for Anxiety
- Shake it out exercise--put on some fun music and shake your entire body for 4-6 minutes
- Breathe with your diaphragm--take a few big, deel belly breaths, exhale slowly, and notice how it feels
- Make yourself yawn and let out a loud sigh at the end
- Soften your gaze
- Stand on your head
- Laugh
- Tapping
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Pelvic floor relaxation
- Draw your safe place--set a 5 minute timer and draw a place where you feel the most safe
- Make a list of all the people, places, memories, music, physical stimulations, inputs (smell, sounds, touch) that make you feel safe
- Grounding the body
- Guided imagery
- 5 minute self massage
- Managing worry
Self-Care for Depression
- Three Good Things exercise
- Write about three positive experiences from your day-these can be small or big.
- Answer the following questions: Why did this experience happen? Why was this thing meaningful? How can I experience more of this good thing?
- Gratitude
- Keep a gratitude journal and write down some things from each day
- Give thanks--be on the look out each day for ways to express thanks to someone
- Mindfulness walk--Go for a walk and appreciate your surroundings
- Gratitude letter--think about someone you appreciate and write them a letter
- Grateful contemplation--Remove yourself from distractions of TV and phone and contemplate for 5-10 minutes about the good from your day
- Gratitude conversation--With another person, talk about 3 things you are each thankful for from the day. Take time to contemplate each thing without hurrying through the list
- Exercise
- Walking, yoga, cardio, dancing, weight lifting, bike riding, swimming
- Socialize
- Calling a friend, spending quality time with family, joining a club
- Take care of your responsibilities
- Chores, paying bills, etc.
- Participate in a hobby
- Personal care
- Shower, brush teeth, floss, take vitamins, eat a healthy meal, paint your nails, get a hair cut
- Mindfulness
- Mindfulness meditation
- Body scan
- Mindful eating
- Five senses
Professional Self-Care
- Keep work and personal time separate.
- Don't answer work calls/texts/emails after hours unless you are REQUIRED to be on call.
- Stay organized.
- Take breaks during the day. Step away from your work area to take a walk, have lunch, chat with a friend, drink water, etc.
- Evaluate your work load. Keep track of projects and tasks you need to accomplish is important to help you prioritize what to work on and how much you can take on at work.
- Advocate for fair pay, benefits, etc.
- Maintain positive relationships with coworkers. Having at least one person in the office you can trust has been shown to improve how we feel at work.
- Participate in trainings, continuing education courses, and anything else to help you learn and understand more about your work.
Spiritual Self-Care
Spirituality can be found through religious and non-religious means.
- Connect with your faith community.
- Attend church, join a small group or bible study either in person or online through apps such as Bible Youversion or First Five.
- Volunteer to help others either in your church or in your community.
- Practice yoga
- Meditate
- You can: sit still, be quiet, and listen to your breathing, do a walking meditation, etc. Go to my page with guided meditations for more ideas.
- Pray to a higher power.
- Keep a journal--write down your thoughts and feelings, things you're grateful for
- Spend time in nature.
- Spend time on your hobbies--spending time on things you enjoy can help bring back a sense of purpose and keep you focused in the moment.
- Speak with a chaplain, pastor, or someone you trust.
Distraction--Last Resort/Low Budget/Low Time
STOP!! Distraction coping skills should only be used in emergent situations. Using coping skills to avoid problems will create a dependency on that activity and will not allow you to get to the root of the issue.
● Coloring
● Humor-watch a funny clip on YouTube
● TV- be incredibly careful! TV(and most things with screens) is powerful
distraction that takes up and turns off much of the brain and essentially prevents
the brain from resolving issues. Screens also do not trigger the relaxation response
in the body that many other coping skills do.
● Read a book
● Do a crossword
● Go shopping (again, shopping can be addictive and expensive)
● Take macro photos of bugs, flowers, objects
● Paint your nails a fun color. Wear silly socks
● Sing along to a song
● Bake cookies
● Sort through and edit your photos
Disclaimer: Coping skill ideas were adapted from www.therapyinanutshell.com