Coping Card

What is a coping card?

A coping card is a list you’ve made ahead of time of your top coping skills. Its the list of the things you should do when you’re feeling emotionally overwhelmed or vulnerable that will both make you feel better and are good for you.

Have you noticed that when you are feeling bad you suddenly forget all those things that are good for you? Like deep breathing, journaling, going for a walk, calling a friend, crying in the shower, making sure you’ve eaten and you’re hydrated, or that you’ve gotten enough sleep. There’s so many things that you know you could do that you’ll suddenly remember two hours later after you’ve eaten all the candy you can find and snapped at the people closest to you (or is that just me?).

Why do you forget the things that are best for you to do when you need it the most?

Because the part of your brain that remembers the things that are good for you is the rational brain, and when the emotional part of your brain is on overdrive, it pushes out the rational brain.

That’s where the coping card comes in!

When you are feeling relaxed and calm make a list of all the things you know you could do to feel better when feeling overwhelmed. Maybe painting, or listening to a certain playlist, or going for a run/doing yoga, or meditating. The list should have 5 - 10 ideas because different situations require different coping. Sometimes you have to run through 5 coping skills in order to find the perfect thing.

Put that list somewhere you can easily access it. In your notes on your phone, put it on a post it on your mirror, on your refrigerator, in your car. Wherever you can put this list so that you will see it in those moments of overwhelm. The more you see your coping card, the easier it will be to remember your skills when you need them.