The Importance of Practicing Coping Skills

Many people believe coping skills are something we only learn in therapy or from a mental health professional. While therapists can certainly help teach and guide these strategies, coping skills are much broader than that. Healthy coping skills are simply activities or behaviors that help reduce the intensity of difficult emotions, stress, or mental health symptoms, while strengthening our resilience.

Coping skills can look different for everyone. For some people, it might be engaging in hobbies such as cooking, crafting, writing, or exercising. For others, it may involve breathing exercises, mindfulness, or creative outlets. The key is learning what works best for you and being intentional about practicing those skills.

Becoming Intentional with Coping Skills

One useful way to measure whether a coping skill is effective is by using a Subjective Unit of Distress (SUD) scale. This scale allows individuals to rate their emotional distress from 0 to 10, where:

• 0 = No distress

• 10 = Extreme distress

  
  

Before engaging in a coping skill, take a moment to rate your level of distress. After completing the activity, rate it again. If your number decreases, the coping skill is likely helping reduce the intensity of your symptoms.

This simple practice increases awareness and helps reinforce behaviors that support emotional regulation.

Why Practicing Coping Skills Matters

One of the biggest challenges people face is that they only try coping skills when their symptoms become overwhelming. Unfortunately, this is often the hardest time to remember what to do.

When stress or anxiety becomes intense, the brain shifts away from the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for reasoning and decision-making, and relies more heavily on the amygdala, which controls survival instincts and emotional reactions. When this happens, logical thinking becomes more difficult.

In these moments, we often forget the strategies we learned.

That is why practice is essential. Repeatedly practicing coping skills during calmer moments helps create a form of behavioral “muscle memory.” Over time, these skills become automatic responses rather than something we struggle to remember during distress.

Exploring What Works for You

As you begin practicing coping skills, you may notice certain types of activities work better than others. Once you identify something that helps, you can explore other strategies within the same category.

For example:

Breathing Techniques

If breathing exercises help calm your mind or interrupt intrusive thoughts, you might experiment with different methods such as:

• Box breathing

• 7–6–5 breathing

• Deep breathing with breath holding

• Slow diaphragmatic breathing

  
  

Creative Outlets

Some individuals regulate emotions through creative expression. Activities could include:

• Coloring or painting

• Scrapbooking

• Arranging flowers

• Sewing or crafting

• Building or designing projects

  
  

Physical Activity

Exercise is one of the most effective coping tools for anxiety because it helps burn off stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which often create symptoms like shaking, pacing, tapping, and restlessness.

Different forms of exercise may include:

• Walking

• Running

• Weightlifting

• Swimming

• Shooting basketball or playing sports

  
  

The goal is not to find the “perfect” coping skill, but rather to explore different options and discover

what works best for you.

Learning from Personal Experience

Sometimes our most valuable coping strategies come from lived experience.

I once experienced a panic attack while driving home from work. It was the first time it had happened to me, but I was able to recognize what it was. Simply identifying the panic attack helped reduce some of the fear immediately. Many people mistake panic symptoms for heart attacks, which can understandably increase panic and lead them to the emergency room.

During the experience, I became hyperaware of the cars around me and the narrow lines on the road. My anxiety quickly escalated.

I called a friend who stayed on the phone with me and encouraged me to pull into an empty parking lot. Once I parked, he asked me to get out of the car and walk around while continuing to talk. After pacing and talking for about 10–15 minutes, my anxiety began to settle enough for me to finish the drive home.

When I got home, I tried a few activities that I normally enjoy. I attempted to cook, but my anxiety remained too high. I even tried playing Minecraft to distract myself, but when a monster appeared in the game I jumped in my chair.

Eventually, I realized that what helped most was listening to calming music and taking a short nap. After about 30 minutes to an hour of rest, my body and mind reset.

Since then, I’ve learned that when my anxiety becomes heightened and I feel overstimulated, calming music and a short nap can help regulate my system.

This strategy may not work for everyone, but it works for me. And that is the point of practicing coping skills—discovering what helps you.

The Work Happens Between Therapy Sessions

Many people seek therapy and engage fully during their sessions, but the real transformation happens between sessions.

Practicing coping skills, reflecting on experiences, and trying new strategies outside of the therapy office brings valuable insights back into future sessions. This ongoing process allows therapy to evolve and become more personalized.

A therapist’s role is not to “fix” someone. Instead, therapists guide, support, and help individuals

develop awareness and tools. Ultimately, you are the expert on your own life.

Building Your Personal Coping Skills List

There are thousands of coping skills available. A helpful starting point is to create a running list of activities that have helped you in the past or brought you joy.

Consider including:

• Activities you have tried before

• Things that made you feel calm or happy

• Healthy hobbies or interests

• Skills you want to explore

  
  

Once you develop your list, you can begin ranking or prioritizing the activities that feel most helpful or meaningful.

From there, choose your top 10 coping skills and intentionally incorporate them into your routine—whether daily, weekly, or monthly.

This list should continue evolving over time as you discover new strategies and refine what works best for you.

Final Thoughts

Practicing coping skills is not just about managing distress in the moment—it is about building resilience over time. By intentionally practicing skills when stress levels are lower, we strengthen our ability to respond effectively when challenges arise.

Through awareness, experimentation, and consistency, we can develop healthier responses to stress and improve our overall well-being.

The tools are already within reach. Sometimes we simply need to reconnect with the activities that help us feel grounded, capable, and resilient.