Free Coping Strategies For Stress, Anxiety & Depression

Let me share various coping strategies I have used to cope with my stress, anxiety, and my depression.

There are various coping skills you will learn over time so give yourself the time to implement them into your life. Because you are worth it!

Learning To Cope Through Exercising

First things first…

• What are your current problems that you can change?

• What small thing can you change that will help you with my current problem?

• Choose something that you are willing to stop consuming altogether or at least cut back on.

Walking Commitment

Start by setting a goal that is realistic to you.

• Commit to walking outdoors each and every day.

Walking outdoors will help with your mental state of mind and your physical well-being. Especially walking in nature. Nature has everything we need to feel better about what we are doing for ourselves. We can hear the birds chirp, see the birds flying about and various creatures crawling about.

You will eventually feel freer and you may no longer feel as guarded. This is a better place to be. It’s a place we can retreat to any time we want. This place allows us to meditate and pray the day away which will leave you feeling refreshed to start another day.

It’s all about freeing our mind of all the stresses we have from work, and life and it’s giving us the much-needed balance.

Coping Through Exercise

1. Set a daily goal
   • Be specific when it comes to what you want achieve and when you what to achieve it.
   • Goal: Exercise
2. Monitoring your goal
   • I will write it down on an agenda type of calendar and for those of you that are inclined to use a device go for it.
   • I will set alarms on my phone to remind me that it’s that time to get up and get moving.
3. Commitment
   • Do whatever works to keep you devoted to your commitment to exercise.
   • The long-range goal of this could be to get around better, breathe better, fit in your clothes, and reduce your chance of heart disease. There are endless reasons why you should commit to a goal of exercise.
4. Prioritizing
   • I choose to make this the second priority of my day.
   • The first is taking care of God’s vessel by spending time in His word daily.
5. Accountability
   • Partnering up may help you succeed when it comes to being accountable to another instead of against another.
6. Breaking It All Down Is Considered Achievement
   • Learn to treat yourself with the respect you deserve.
   • Using positive self-talk is how you will explain this event in your life to yourself.
     • It’s a way you interpret your external and internal events, that determines how you feel and what actions you decide to take when it comes to how you cope with what is at hand.
       • What is your inner dialogue saying?
       • How is it affecting your mood and your well-being?
       • Are you being self-critical?

Behaviors

Changing our behavior will achieve emotional health. Compulsive behaviors create negative consequences in our lives. (it could mean, indulging in something) spending money, consuming food or even beverages, overworking, and never saying no. You build up a tolerance to something expecting a better feeling from it.

Bringing It Home

I can do all my exercise in the comfort of my home. I can practice yoga and I may even lift some weights.

Having the ability to work out at home has its advantages. I do not have to feel intimated by others at the gym or by my self-image of comparison to others. I understand they are not where I am at nor am I where they are at. This is about me, how I feel about myself now, and how I will feel about myself later.

The only expense is what I want to keep present in my home. It’s a one-time expense and I am worth it!

I will remain patient with myself when it comes to living this goal. When I feel overwhelmed I will practice deep breathing. I will break up my physical activities into small chunks of time. and know that taking a shower at the end of the day will leave me feeling even more refreshed.

Shonna

The importance of stretching before and after allows me to practice yoga. The older I get the stiffer I get. If I don’t practice yoga this will be dangerous to my body. I need to do strength-building exercises because of my significant bone loss. In my life right now I must do what I can to prevent myself from falling.

I’ve heard that your ability to balance on one leg indicates your life span. I guess this will be my focus if I want to be around longer. haha

Scheduling What Is Most Important To Our Well-Being

I will state; schedule pleasant activities to do around exercising, and avoid alcohol and drugs, I will have kind thoughts running through my mind as I learn what it means to unwind while I practice assertiveness in my desire to be healthier.

As I planted a garden for the first time this year, I thought about what I want to be able to snack on, what is growing around me as I water and plan for the next meal to fix. Plant what you want to grow while you are learning to be more self reliant and sufficient in these times is vital.

• I will spend time in nature or at the beach.
• I will read books
• I will do a craft
• I will listen to music
• I will play with my pet
• I will learn a new craft
• I will play a musical instrument
• I will care for my garden
• I will spend time with family and/or friends
• I will play a board or a card game
• I will plan on taking a trip someone near or far
• I will attend a concert
• I will treat myself to a massage
• I will find an organization to volunteer with
• I will bathe in the bathtub with candles with some soothing music or I may even read a book.
• I will devote time to myself each and every day because I am worth it.

Coping With Our Mental Health

Having optimistic thinking improves my health; it decreases my depression, anxiety, it will lesson my pain and it will enhance my immune system and it may even extend my life.

Depression

Depression affects your mind and your body. Its a low mood that carries on for most of the day, every day and will last for at least two weeks. It may even impact your sleep, appetite and your ability to think or even concentrate. Words used are; lethargic, negative, no energy, dragging and even dreading.

Anxiety

Having anxiety may be worries, fears, nervousness, or panic. The anxiety feeling is more Intense, it can last longer, and it may even lead to problems in employment and the home environment.

Coping With Your Physical & Mental Well-Being

I used to think being a lifetime member of a gym would provide me with what I needed but over time that all changed because the business changed, then my living situation changed, then, my employment changed.

I’ve learned that I can’t rely on a gym membership to be there when I need it mostly out of inconvenience and the expense of it. So, I choose to invest in myself by making myself a priority. All I have to do is get my heart rate up for at least 15 minutes a day at least 2 times a day.

I choose the morning hours and the evening hours and if I can fit some time in between kyoodles to me. This will eventually lead me to have the ability to work out 30 minutes straight doing aerobic strength training this will help me reduce my body fat.

I love doing this because, it helps me with my restless leg syndrome, my fibromyalgia, my rheumatoid arthritis, my osteoporosis, my mental health, my joints, my emotional well-being, and various other reasons.

Coping With The Matter At Hand

Cause

Our daily schedules are consumed with having to make a buck, what if it was the other way around where you didn’t have to make that much money so your days were not consumed with having to make a bunch of money? What would you do with your time?

Affect

Depression, anxiety, stress, some medical conditions, and medications, can cause you to have insomnia. Try to not consume caffeine at least 6 hours before bed. learn to develop new ways of going to sleep and waking refreshed.

Do you have difficulty falling asleep? If so, try working out no less than 3 hours before going to bed. Try listening to Calm, meditation, and soothing music.

Your sleep requirements will depend on your age, your health, and your genetics. How you feel matters more than the number of hours of sleep you get per night.

Slow Your Role Coping

Have you become activated before going to bed by something like stress? Stop what you are doing. Write it down in a journal, get it out of your mind! Get whatever it is out of the way and ready for the next day. This could be as simple as what you want to wear, having your coffee or your tea prepped and ready to go. Or, better yet your lunch made and ready the night before.

Coping Away From Multi-Tasking!

Give yourself time before bed to relax. Do only one thing at a time. Do not make your lunch and prep your coffee or tea at the same time you are making your lunch. As you make the transition from making your lunch, put the items away. Sit down and let yourself relax for a few minutes before you prep to make the coffee or tea for the next day. Take time to yourself in between each and everything you want to get done. This will become more freeing.

Savor It

When it comes to eating and drinking remember to savor every moment as if it’s the first time you are tasting something. Take small bites and chew for long periods before swallowing the food. Let your meal digest before going back for more and fill up in between with lots of water early in the day to help with waking up at night and overeating.

Coping Techniques

Remove things that are too stimulating…noise, and visual effects, and learn to seek out more calming moments.

Take a slow, deep breath, breathing in fully and exhaling slowly. breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in and exhale. As you exhale, blow as if you are blowing out a candle softly so that it doesn’t blow out. Breathe in and release as you invite your attention to follow your breath. As you continue you may want to switch to inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Simply breathe as you naturally breathe just a little deeper and slower. breathe in and release, for the next few moments as much as possible let other thoughts fade into the background and simply focus on our breathing. to help with your concentration count 1 on the inhale and 2 on the exhale then 3 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale and 5 on the inhale and 6 on the exhale and 7 on the inhale and 8 on the exhale and 9 on the inhale and 10 on the exhale.

Whenever your mind starts wondering off…simply start over again, you are in control of your breathing exercises.

Coping With Stress Responses and Symptoms

Common daily issues that are personal, family-related, employment-related, or even financial matters are how to make ends meet. Personal imbalances in our body that we have inherited, chronic stress, or any combination of imbalances that may be chemical or hormonal.

Events that severely threaten your physical safety, your emotional, and your physical. well-being. Such as abuse, neglect, or even abandonment that we have experienced in our childhood.

Triggers

Triggered by ________________(something) we feel fear, helplessness, frustration, anger, or even overwhelmed. We may be even experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, or our muscles becoming tense in our neck area or various other areas of our body.

The thoughts running through our most common minds are “There is something wrong with me”. Because, I feel there is something wrong with me I start isolating myself from others, my appetite changes I become short with others.

Now that you are in protective mode you must understand that this is a natural protective mechanism. We have had to learn how to reassure ourselves that everything will be okay even in the worst of circumstances.

Symptom Responses

We are complex and we must seek help understanding how badly stress is affecting your body and your soul. There are a multitude of symptoms that inundate our bodies psychically and mentally. What kind of stressors have you experienced recently?

If you find it difficult to fall asleep or staying asleep grab a nearby book on your night stand and read it. Reading will take your mind off of not sleeping and trying to sleep. If you don’t want to wake your spouse up. Try using a Kindle with a backlight. It’s dim and won’t wake anyone.

If you are a light sleeper, a fan running helps dim the background noises that are keeping you awake or that are waking you up.

Distorted Thoughts Will Become A Thing Left In The Past

Let’s learn how to identify our distorted thinking or our thoughts. Challenge those negative thoughts that are running ramped in your mind. This means that you must learn to develop more helpful beliefs into your current life.

Practice meditating on positive things. This will allow us to respond to our challenging situations more effectively.

Negative thinking creates more stress so why not create healthier thoughts?

Let’s be real, realistic in our journey. What hurdles are you amongst? What will get you over this hurdle?

Advocate For Yourself

Learn to advocate for yourself, because, no one else will. Express your desires in an assertive way.

Do you have a sense of belonging? If not find a way to get the support you need and could be through a support group, a friend, a church, a club, a hobby or even a family member.

We must find a sense of meaning in our lives. I decided to volunteer when I heard Jennie Allen speak after a mission trip I went on. Jennie Allen said, our mission field is everywhere we are. I found mine many times over when I volunteered doing various things mostly working with girls in juvenile hall, gang awareness, and homeless ministries.

My religious faith is Christianity.