Penstripe Student Planner Catalogue 24-25 - Flipbook - Page 64
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WELLBEING
SECTION C (8 PAGES)
COPING MECHANISMS
HEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS (PAGE 1)
Coping mechanisms
Healthy coping mechanisms
www.mind-it.co.uk
Selfcare and your life
Now, let’s look at selfcare in your life. What do you do (sometimes without even noticing
it) to decrease the stress levels in your life?
The exercise below is called the Stress Bucket. It will help you to identify your coping
mechanisms to stress. Here is how it works:
Imagine your body as a bucket full of water. The stress factors keep coming in
and the water level goes up. So, we have ‘taps’ (coping mechanisms) that help
us to empty the bucket to make sure it does not overflow.
Some coping mechanisms are healthy and some less so – but that’s fine!
The healthy ones (such as exercise) have a long-lasting positive effect on stress
relief.
The unhealthy ones (such as getting angry) may work in the short term but do
not help to decrease the stress levels in the long term.
Try this exercise and be as honest as possible with yourself; identification is the
first step to change! We all have different coping mechanisms so this is about
understanding what works for you.
Stress factors
Unhealthy coping mechanisms
Some inspiration: healthy ways to cope with stress
www.mind-it.co.uk
Now you are aware of your own coping mechanisms, we want to inspire you with key
elements of your own wellbeing. Here are our ways of wellbeing that you might want
to try and implement in your daily life. We’ve left space underneath each one for you to
note what works for you and when.
1. Take a few deep breaths
Taking a deep breath is a proven way for us to calm down whenever we feel stressed.
Next time you receive an annoying text or a bad grade, try to take a few deep breaths.
It will help you to respond the way you really want and it only takes ten seconds!
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2. Connect with friends and family
Connecting with others is key for your wellbeing. We are social but we often forget how
having a good chat and a laugh with a friend is a big source of joy. You might want to
connect or re-connect with people around you, just by asking “how are you?”
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3. Get your body moving!
We are not saying here that you need to run one hour every morning. Just five minutes
stretching in the morning, walking your puppy, taking the stairwell or doing five squats
before showering and you’re on your way to being active! Moving your body releases
endorphins, the body hormone that makes us smile. What about putting your favourite
tune on and dancing like nobody is watching?
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4. Focus on the happy moments!
By nature, we have a negative bias in our brain; we tend to focus on the one negative
thing that has happened during the day and not on the nine positive ones. Let’s shift
that around, by practicing gratitude. In the evening, before bed, try to name five things
to be grateful for today (try to focus on the little things!). In just a few days, you should
notice that you sleep better and you are in a much more positive mood.
Healthy coping factors
If things are a little hard right now, you are not alone:
Kooth: download the app to get free, safe and anonymous support:
www.kooth.com
5. Try positive self-talk
The way you talk to yourself impacts directly upon how you feel. Learning to talk to
yourself in a positive way will make you feel better.
I am …
To know more about mental health for teens:
These are two of the most powerful words in the English dictionary – what you
add to them can change your perspective and experience.
To get support for your mental health as a teen: www.youngminds.org.uk
I am … amazing / clever / kind / beautiful
www.teenmentalhealth.org
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Coping mechanisms
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Well done! Now the challenge is to make room for the healthy coping mechanisms so
that we avoid falling into the easy-fix unhealthy ones that might be more appealing in
the short term!
