Many people with mental health issues, particularly anxiety sufferers or those who suffer from depression, have trouble with self-defeating thoughts and negative self-talk. This can be one of the many difficult aspects of overcoming mental illness. One of the tools that these patients are taught to use is thought stopping which is just like it sounds, but it can be difficult for the negative thoughts to be stopped when there is not something to replace them with. That is why preparing coping statements and creating coping cards can be so very useful. This sounds like it might be too simple of a concept to really make a difference, but mental health professionals have been using this method for years and have found it to be very effective.
What Are Positive Coping Statements?
Coping statements are positive, truthful statements that can be used to replace untrue or negative thoughts that can take over your brain and cause you to feel more anxious, angry, and stressed than you already do. These positive statements can help you to calm down and stay in control in an overwhelming situation. The coping statements can offer you reassurance that you can make it through any difficult situation.
Create Coping Cards
Creating coping cards is the next step. Having these statements ready to go at a moment’s notice can be a big help to you. Remembering to use your coping statements can be difficult. And remembering what the coping statements are can be difficult so writing the statements down can be a big help to you. Writing down your coping statements to carry with you can help you to remember to use them.
You have a few choices when it comes to making coping cards. You can make one card with all of your positive statements so that one card will be applicable in all situations. You could make several cards with different statements for different situations. With your card or cards on your person at all times you can pull them out and read your statements to yourself whenever you need them.
Four Tips For Creating An Effective Coping Strategy
Dr. Barbara Markway, Ph.D., is a social anxiety specialist. Dr. Markway outlined some tips for writing and using effective coping strategies in Psychology Today.
- Use your own words to write your statements. Do not use language that you would not use otherwise. If the statements do not feel natural, you will not be able to feel good about using them. Avoid using formal or academic language if you would not use it in your ordinary speech.
- Write coping statements that specifically target the feelings that you have. If you have anxiety about a specific situations, speak directly to that anxiety in that situation. Speak directly to your fears and phobias. Speak directly to your anger and your resentment.
- Be reassuring in your statements but also be truthful and realistic. Do not lie to yourself in your coping statements. If you feel pain, do not tell yourself that you do no. Instead tell yourself that it will not last forever or that you are going to feel better eventually. The more accurate a statement is, the more useful it will be to you.
- Be brief in your statements. Short statements are easier to remember. Eventually, you may be able to remember your statements without the extra push of the card. Eventually, your card may turn into something different.
You inner voice can sometimes lie to you, particularly when you have different kinds of mental illnesses. Those lies can make you feel more depressed or anxious or panicked than you already do. But when you recognize that these thoughts could be detrimental to you, you can start to use your coping statements and bring the truth back to your mind. Using coping statements can bring you some peace and positivity. Once you start to employ your coping statements, you may find that you start to naturally think more positive thoughts. You may also find that when you start to think positive thoughts, you also start to feel a little better in general.
