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Coping skills

Practical tools for hard moments, from breathing to grounding to planning ahead. 73 guides in 15 groups.

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After a hard moment

  1. After a hard moment: first stepsSomething hard just happened. Here are small, steady steps for the next hour, the next day and the weeks ahead.⏱ 5 min
    📝 3
  2. After rejection, failure or lossIt hurts because it mattered. Here are small, kind steps for the days after a setback, a loss or a no.⏱ 2 min
    📝 3
  3. After a mistake: owning it & making it rightEveryone gets it wrong sometimes. Here is how to calm down, own it, repair what you can and stop the replay.⏱ 2 min
    📝 3
  4. After danger or violenceYou got through something frightening. Your body’s alarm may still be ringing. Here is how to get safe, settle and heal, one step at a time.⏱ 3 min
    📝 3
  5. After a crime, scam or harassmentSomeone targeted you, and that is on them, not you. Here are clear steps to get safe, protect what you can and feel steady again.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3

Body & senses

  1. Progressive muscle relaxation & letting go of tensionYour body holds on to stress. With a little practice, you can teach it how to let go.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  2. Using your five senses to calm downYour mind can race into the past or the future. Your senses only live in right now.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  3. Massage, touch & your mindKind, wanted touch is one of the oldest ways humans comfort each other. It can soothe the mind as well as the body.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  4. Yoga, stretching & tai chiSlow movement, steady breath, a quieter mind. You don’t need to be flexible to begin, just willing to try.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  5. Physical therapy & your mental healthHealing your body takes heart as well as muscle. Your feelings during recovery are real, and they matter too.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  6. Reiki & energy therapies: what’s knownCurious about Reiki or energy healing? Here’s an honest, kind look at what helps, what’s unproven, and how to choose wisely.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3

Breathing

  1. Breathing basicsYour breath is a calming tool you always carry with you.⏱ 8 min
    📝 4
  2. Breathing for anxiety, panic & big feelingsWhen fear or anger floods in, a slow out-breath can help you ride the wave.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  3. Breathing for sleep & restSlow, gentle breaths help your body remember how to rest.⏱ 3 min
    📝 3
  4. Breathing on the go & before big momentsA few quiet breaths can carry you through a busy day and a big moment.⏱ 3 min
    📝 3
  5. Breathing for kids, older adults & health conditionsGentle breathing can fit every age and every body, with a little care.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3

Creativity & fun

  1. Art & creative expressionYou don’t have to be “good at art” for art to be good for you. A pencil, a page and a few quiet minutes are enough to begin.⏱ 7 min
    📝 5
  2. Finding your people: music, movies & sportsThe things you love can lead you to the people who get you. Your passions are a doorway to belonging.⏱ 7 min
    📝 4
  3. Building play: blocks, bricks, marble runs & obstacle coursesStacking, clicking, rolling and climbing: building things with your hands quietly builds patience, focus and problem solving at any age.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  4. Movies, shows & your emotionsA good story can make you laugh, cry, feel brave or feel less alone, and it’s okay to let it move you.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4

Grounding & coping plans

  1. Coping strategies: the basicsSmall, kind tools to help you get through hard moments, one step at a time.⏱ 8 min
    📝 3
  2. Grounding & calming skillsWhen stress grabs hold, your senses and body can bring you back to right here, right now.⏱ 8 min
    📝 3
  3. Building your coping planWrite your plan while you feel calm, so your calmer self can coach you through the hard moments.⏱ 6 min
    📝 5

Habits & focus

  1. Building habits that stickYou don’t need endless willpower. A small action, in the same place, repeated kindly, slowly becomes part of who you are.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
  2. Procrastination: why we put things off and how to startPutting things off isn’t laziness. It’s usually a hard feeling in disguise, and you can learn to meet it gently and begin anyway.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
  3. Making decisions when you feel stuckThere isn’t always one right answer. You can choose with care, trust yourself, and adjust as you go.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3

Impulse control

  1. Impulse controlEveryone feels the pull to act right now. Understanding where it comes from is the first step to making room for a pause.⏱ 7 min
    📝 3
  2. Urge & craving toolkitAn urge is a wave, not an order. These simple, practised skills help you ride it out and choose what comes next.⏱ 6 min
    📝 6
  3. Everyday impulsesLate-night carts, angry texts, one more scroll. Small safeguards in daily life make the pause easier to find.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3

Mindfulness & meditation

  1. Mindfulness basicsMindfulness is simply noticing this moment, kindly. You already have everything you need to begin.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
  2. Meditation for beginnersYou don’t need a perfect setting or a quiet mind. A few minutes and a little kindness are enough to begin.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
  3. Mindful moments in everyday lifeYou don’t need extra time to be mindful. Your next meal, walk or chat can be the practice.⏱ 3 min
    📝 4

Mindset & hard thoughts

  1. Mindset basicsYour thoughts shape how you face hard things. Small, kind steps can change them, one day at a time.⏱ 9 min
    📝 4
  2. Motivation & getting startedYou don’t have to feel ready to begin. Small steps, kind plans and good company carry you the rest of the way.⏱ 8 min
    📝 4
  3. Resilience, hope & gratitudeHard times can bend you without breaking you. Resilience is a set of skills, and you can grow them.⏱ 7 min
    📝 4
  4. Working with hard thoughtsA thought is not a fact. You can learn to notice it, question it, and choose what to do next.⏱ 6 min
    📝 3
  5. Overthinking & ruminationYour mind is trying to help, but going round in circles isn’t the same as moving forward. You can learn to step out of the loop.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  6. Quieting your inner criticThe harsh voice in your head is loud, but it isn’t the boss of you. You can learn to answer it, and grow a kinder one.⏱ 6 min
    📝 4

Music & sound

  1. Music & wellbeingThe right song at the right moment can calm you, lift you and remind you that you are not alone.⏱ 8 min
    📝 4
  2. Playlists for every mood & modeBuild the soundtrack before you need it, so the right song is one tap away on every kind of day.⏱ 6 min
    📝 5
  3. Sound baths & sound healing: what’s knownLying still while gentle sounds wash over you can be deeply calming. Here is what that can do for you, and what it can’t.⏱ 5 min
    📝 3
  4. Frequencies, sound waves & your brainBeats, tones and “colors” of noise are everywhere online. Here is what the science really says, so you can use sound wisely.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
  5. Making music for your mindYou don’t have to be good at music for music to be good for you. Sing, tap, strum or hum, at any age and any level.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  6. Music for calm, focus & sleepThe right sounds can help your body slow down, your mind settle and your night feel a little softer.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  7. Music, emotions & memoriesA few notes can carry you back years, bring tears or comfort, and keep the people you love close.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4

Outdoors & nature

  1. Nature & the outdoorsTrees, water, sky and fresh air can quietly reset a busy mind. A few minutes outside is a fine place to start.⏱ 6 min
    📝 4
  2. Water, mountains, forests & open spacesBig skies, moving water and quiet trees can make worries feel a little smaller. Here is what research says, and what it doesn’t.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  3. Sunlight, fresh air & getting outsideOur bodies were built for daylight and open air. A few small trips outside each day can help your sleep, energy and mood keep better time.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  4. Walking, running & biking for your mindOne foot, or one pedal, in front of the other. Simple, steady movement is one of the best-studied ways to lift your mood, and you can start today.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  5. Hiking, camping & outdoor adventureA trail, a tent or a river can stretch you in the best way. Small adventures count, and you can start wherever you are.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3

Pets

  1. Pets & your wellbeingA purr, a wag or a bird at the window can bring a little calm into a hard day.⏱ 7 min
    📝 4
  2. Lessons from animalsNap without guilt, greet the day like a dog on a walk, and find your sunny spot.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
  3. Therapy & emotional support animalsAnimals can bring comfort, calm and courage. Knowing the different kinds of helper animals helps you find support that truly fits.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  4. Cats & your mental healthA slow blink, a warm weight on your lap, a quiet friend who chooses you. Cats can bring a gentle kind of calm.⏱ 6 min
    📝 3
  5. Dogs & your mental healthA wagging tail at the door, a reason to get outside, a friend who is always glad to see you.⏱ 5 min
    📝 3
  6. Fish & aquariums: calm in a tankGliding fish, swaying plants and the soft hum of water. A few quiet minutes by a tank can help your mind slow down.⏱ 5 min
    📝 3

Self-care

  1. Self-care basicsTaking care of yourself is not selfish. It is how you keep going, and how you show up for the people you love.⏱ 10 min
    📝 5
  2. Rest & rechargingYou don’t have to earn rest. A few minutes of real recovery each day helps you feel more like yourself.⏱ 7 min
    📝 5
  3. Self-compassion & your inner criticYou deserve the same kindness you give a good friend, especially on the days you feel you’ve fallen short.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  4. Morning & evening routinesYou don’t need a perfect morning or a five-step night. A few steady anchors can help your days, and your mind, feel more settled.⏱ 3 min
    📝 5
  5. Alone time & solitudeBeing alone isn’t the same as being lonely. Time with yourself, when you choose it, can be calm, freeing and restoring.⏱ 3 min
    📝 4
  6. Small joys & savoringA warm cup, a good song, a friend’s laugh. Small joys are easy to miss, and worth slowing down for.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  7. Journaling for your mental healthA page doesn’t judge, interrupt or need you to be okay. Writing can help you untangle what’s going on inside.⏱ 4 min
    📝 5
  8. Gratitude: what helps & what doesn’tGratitude isn’t pretending everything is fine. It’s letting the good in too, even on days that are hard.⏱ 3 min
    📝 5
  9. Walking away to cool downStepping away from a heated moment isn’t giving up. It’s giving your body time to settle, so you can come back as yourself.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4

Sports & movement

  1. Sports & exercise for your mindEvery step, kick, stroke and stretch is a way of caring for your mind. Start wherever you are.⏱ 9 min
    📝 4
  2. Soccer & your mental healthAll you need is a ball, some space and a few people. What you often get back is focus, friendship and a lighter head.⏱ 6 min
    📝 4
  3. Football & your mental healthFootball teaches you to protect your teammates. You deserve that same protection, on the field and off it.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  4. Swimming & being in waterWater holds you up, slows you down and quiets the noise. You don’t have to be a strong swimmer to feel its calm.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4

Travel

  1. Travel & wellbeingTrips and breaks can refresh body and mind. A little planning helps you rest more and worry less.⏱ 5 min
    📝 4
  2. Solo travel & staying safeTravelling on your own can build confidence. A few simple habits help you feel connected and safe wherever you go.⏱ 3 min
    📝 3
  3. Travel anxiety & fear of flyingTravel worries and flying fears are common, and they respond well to the right tools and support.⏱ 4 min
    📝 4
  4. Travel with a health condition or disabilityYour needs don’t have to keep you home. Planning ahead helps you keep your care going and travel with confidence.⏱ 4 min
    📝 3
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