Coping Skills

Oftentimes, we feel flustered after messing up and ruminate over the self-perceived embarrassment or mistake. However, more likely than not, those who witnessed the blunder either didn’t notice or don’t care about the blunder. We need to remember that we’re our own worst critics and put things into perspective: whatever…

It might already be universally understood that using alcohol and/or drugs to cope with mental illness is a bad idea, but the “whys” of it might be less clear. It’s a big topic and there’s a lot of information out there, especially with all the discussions around legalization. Coping or…

I am kind. I am smart. I am important. It might sound like I’m bragging, but I assure you I’m not—I’m just practicing some positive affirmations! Have you ever heard of these? They’re basically positive statements or phrases that you say to give yourself a boost of confidence. And once…

I am a planner. Always have been, always will be. Now, I don’t keep an agenda like most planners—I make detailed lists instead, outlining my days, my weeks, sometimes my months. The idea is that I need to know what’s going to happen before it actually happens… or at the…

We all suffer from our fair share of heartache—whether it’s rooted in a breakup, the loss of a loved one, abandonment, the death of a pet, or any number of things. And in any such circumstance, it’s important that we confront the painful feelings that accompany the painful experience. But…

My anxiety has felt… closer, lately. It used to be this distant threat that I could close the door on or swallow deep down. Now, it’s a heaviness that sits in my throat and weighs on my mind. Sometimes, it hits me like a baseball gone rogue. Most of the…

Instead of facing painful emotions, I used to swallow them as far down as they would go. I’d insist that I was fine, assuring concerned friends and family with a forced smile. I’d go about my life and tell myself that I was okay despite the breakup, the setback, the…

Breakups are tough—but the following weeks, months, sometimes years, are even tougher. You’ve given a little bit of yourself to this person and this relationship, and then it’s all suddenly gone. And you’re left to either pick of the pieces or leave them scattered on the floor. Which do you…

I’ve let my temper get the best of me—and my guess is that you’ve let your temper get the best of you too. We’ve all been there, in times of extreme frustration, irritation, or outright anger, when all of the negative feelings bubble to the surface and over the rim…

The past few days, my dad has been telling me to have more patience. He’s a slower moving individual (both physically and mentally), as he’s reached his late 70’s, and finds my fast pace incredibly annoying as well as exhausting. And I, of course, hold the opposite to be true—always…

No matter how hard you try or how badly you wish you could, you cannot control every single aspect of your life: the flat tire you got this morning, your unraveling relationship, the sudden mass layoffs at work. Sure, you can hope for the best, but I recommend instead preparing…

When a pet dies, it is a loss that feels just as big and real as losing a friend or family member-sometimes it is bigger and more real. Pets and animals give us a type of love that humans usually don’t. When a dog follows us around, and waits on…