If you can believe it, we are already in the month of May! 2017 has been steadily moving along and this month we are looking into the topic of coping. Everyone has their own versions and ideas about how they best cope with, and through, stressful or difficult situations. For years professionals have presented, written about, fine-tuned and zenned over the most positive ways that we can cope. While not every example will work best for every person it’s always great to have some ideas in your back pocket when the need arises. There is nothing wrong with testing a few out to see which ones do not work for you and which ones are your go-to when counting to 10 just does not cut it anymore. You can try:

• Cooking or Baking
• Scheduling some time off and stick to it
• Spend some time with young children or animals (both tend to be care free and some of that may rub off on you during your time with them)
• Create something artistic (this can be any number of mediums such as music, clay, paint, found objects, writing, photography and the like)
• Visualization, Meditation. Group or Individual Therapy
• Physical Activity (this too can be any number of things; swimming, dance, yoga, stretching, sex…yep, you read that right…a bike ride or walk)
• Give of yourself to organizations you are interested in. Volunteering can not only  help you, but also others
• Explore something in your area that you haven’t before
• Get some more sleep
• Seek out speaking with friends or family and expressing your emotions

We all know that we have some negative coping mechanisms that may help for a short period of time in the moment but still leave us a bit in the lurch. Seeking out more positive ways in which to cope, these or others may help us to set up a more positive pattern to help deal with a negative situation. We’d like to hear some of your positive coping skills or ideas that you’d like to share. Take a moment to check out our thread on My MSAA Community.