Coping With Crisis

Normally I am full of sunshine, but lately I’ve been dealing with a lot of depression. Depression can be excruciating. In this blog I’m going to talk about ways to cope with depression. These are some of the exercises from my workshop: Up From Ashes- Coping With Crisis.

First, I suggest having a coping skills list. This is just a simple list of things that you normally enjoy, things that can disrupt the depression. I recommend making the list as long as you are old because it really helps to have multiple options that you can turn to in the midst of depression or other emotional crisis. If you can’t think of anything, think about the things you enjoyed when you were not depressed. If you still can’t think of anything, write down some coping skills that you might want to try. I like to in the list with repeat. This gives me the option to start over if I am still not coping well.

Second, I suggest grounding. Grounding is a process by which we reconnect with our bodies. The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique is an excellent resource to reconnect us. Think or say 5 things you touch, 4 things you see, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell and 1 thing you taste. This exercise really ground you because you have to interact with your environment and let your senses guide you. You can also flip the senses and the numbers ie 5 things you see, 4 things you touch and so forth.

Third, I suggest movement. A moment of bounce can rescue your whole day or a shakedown can really save the day. Give yourself time to do movement that affirms you.

I think these steps can be major in coping with emotional crisis such as depression. Lastly, I recommend being gentle with yourself. Treat yourself like you would treat a best friend or partner. Give yourself the love and support that you need to get through this time. You can do it. You got this! Just remember to wade it. Hugs.