Deal With It!

Discovering The Best Tools To

Manage Your Emotions
 Lesson 1 – Intro to Coping Strategies

Lesson 2 – Learning Your Type of Coping

Lesson 3 – Experimenting With Strategies

Lesson 4 – Customizing Your Toolbox

Lesson 1 –
Intro to
Coping
Strategies
What is a Coping Strategy?
an action, a series of actions, or a thought
process used in meeting a stressful or
unpleasant situation or in modifying one’s
reaction to such a situation.

-American Psychological Association

What is a Coping Strategy?
Tools you use to handle life when things
don’t go how you think it’s supposed to.

-Mr. P
 Over-eating Poor communication
Running away
Passive-aggressive behavior
Defensive
Fighting
What are examples of
bad coping strategies?
Procrastination
Refusing to listen

Negative talk and body language

Letting go of reality
Throwing a tantrum
 Talk to someone Use I Feel statements
Exercising
Take a shower
Count to 10
Go for a walk
What are examples of
good coping strategies?
Do something creative
Deep Breathing

Use positive self-talk

Do something fun
Hang out with someone you love
 But what is the right
coping strategy to use?
Which tool was better?
What did you notice?
Questions?
 Lesson 2 –
Learning
your Type of
Coping
We want
people to feel
like they can
take steps to
solve problems
without asking
permission.

~Ed Catmull
 Now that you
know how you feel,
what are you going
to do about it?
Three Types of Regulators:
Oral Regulators
Upper Body Regulators
Lower Body Regulators
You might be an Oral Regulator if:
• Yell / Scream

• Grind your Teeth

• Chew on Things

• Bite your Nails

• Eat Yummies
Good Coping Tools
For You:
• Drink some water

• Grab a snack

• Chew gum

• Buy some chewlery

• Talk out your problems

You might be an Upper Body
Regulator if:
• Hit Something

• Pick at yourself

• Crack your knuckles

• Throw things

• Tap on things
Good Coping Tools
For You:
• Do some push-ups

• Squeeze a ball

• Fidget Toys

• Tracing Pictures

• Twirling a pen/pencil
 You might be a Lower Body
Regulator if:
• Take off running

• Wiggle in your seat

• Shake your legs

• Stomp your feet

• Kick things
Good Coping Tools
For You:
• Go for a Walk
• Stand up & move around
• Do a few squats
• Put a rubber band on your
chair
• Go get some fresh air
Relaxation
• Deep Breathing Sensory
• Imagination Touch * Smell * Visual * Auditory
• Mindfulness
• Grounding

Processing
Movement
Stretch
Breaks

Small Body Exploring Thoughts

Movements

Expressing Feelings
Shake your
wiggles out
Reflecting on Behavior
Practice
I’m going to try make you happy right now. But then I’m going
to make you a little frustrated.

Tap into your emotions. Notice if you react a certain w ay. See if
you can find w hat type of regulator you are.

Ready?
Pop the Bubbles
Don’t Touch the Bubbles
Review:
• Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
o What Zone are you in?
o What are your emotions?

• How Do You Typically Respond

o What same behavior do you do when stressed, upset or sad?

• Figure Out Positive Ways To Cope

o What is the size of the problem?
o Which tools work best for you?
Questions?
 Lesson 3 –
Experimenting
With
Strategies
What does this tool do?
What does this tool do?
Tailpipe Cutter
This tool wraps around a
pipe, locks in tight, and uses
round blades to get a
smooth even cut by twisting
it around the circumference.
What does this tool do?
What does this tool do?
Plumb Bob
Builders use this to make
sure they get a true vertical
line, or a “plumb” line from
top to bottom. It helps them
put up walls, chimneys, and
pyramids.
What does this tool do?
What does this tool do?
Bear Claw Shredder
This thing helps pitmasters
rip apart that beautifully
slow cooked juicy chunk of
hunk beef, chicken, or pork
so I can eat it easier.
Odd tools exist and are useful
for certain things. We don’t
grab them all the time but it’s
nice to have in our toolbox.
Different Coping Tools
Sound Bathing
Soothing Stones
Tapping
Nature Soaks
Sound Bathing
• Often used with Singing Bowls but can be used with bells and chimes
• Invented around 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia
• Have been used in Tibet, Nepal, and India for past 2,000 years
• Sound Bathing has shown to:
✓Relax folks
✓Reduce pain
✓Stimulate brain waves
✓Reduce Stress
✓Teaches self-regulation
Soothing Stones
Tapping
• Considered an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) like Tai Chi or
Acupuncture that began in the 1970s
• This technique uses your bodies meridian points , a pathway for
energy to flow inside your body (chi, chakra, life force)
• These meridian points connect to your amygdala and can send a
calm signal to it letting it feel safe
• Tapping has helped people overcome anxiety, depression, stress,
trauma, pain, and fears
• Steps for a Tapping session:
❑ Rate how you feel from 0 - 10
❑ Make your “set-up statement” owning your feelings and
accepting your problems
❑ Begin tapping sequence (eyes, nose, chin, chest, armpit, &
head)
❑ Rate your stress level again
❑ Repeat Steps 1-4 until your stress level is at a comfortable
spot
 Nature Soaks
• Created in Japan in 1982, Shinrin-Yoku or Forest
Bathing has become very popular around the world
• More people are spending time indoors and on screens
then ever before
• Going out in nature and letting your feet touch the
grass, allowing your eyes to stare at the sky, and
listening to birds chirping has shown to keep the body
calm for several hours after returning to normal life
• Nature Soaks have been proven to:
✓ Reduce cortisol
✓ Lower blood pressure
✓ Regulate your heart rate
✓ Promotes a sense of well-being
Recap:
• Which technique stood out to you for good or bad
reasons?

• Did any of them make you feel calmer or more

relaxed?

• What can you do to keep exploring new coping

strategies?
Questions?
 Lesson 4 –
Customizing
Your Toolbox
More Than One Way to Cope

Turn to someone and

share one of your favorite
coping tools.
 More Than One Way to Cope

Turn to someone different

and share a coping tool
that doesn’t work for you.
 Important Note:
It's not just having the right
tools; it's knowing how and
when to use them.
 DIY Time
Reflect on
yourself and
discover your
personal tools to
manage your
emotions.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself.
It’s about creating yourself.”
-George Bernard Shaw
Questions?