Coping Skills Overview Handout

What Are Coping Skills?

Coping skills are healthy strategies or actions we use to manage stress, anxiety, and tough emotions. By practicing these skills, you can stay focused, calm, and ready to learn.

Categories of Coping Strategies

1. Physical – Use your body to relieve tension or boost energy.
   • Examples: deep breathing, stretching or light exercise, progressive muscle relaxation.
2. Cognitive – Shift your thoughts to feel more confident and calm.
   • Examples: positive self-talk, reframing negative thoughts, visualizing success.
3. Social – Connect with others for support and perspective.
   • Examples: talking with a friend, asking a teacher for help, joining a study group.
4. Proactive – Plan and organize ahead of time to prevent overwhelm.
   • Examples: using a planner, breaking tasks into small steps, setting realistic goals.
5. Reactive – Use quick, on-the-spot strategies when stress hits.
   • Examples: taking a brief walk, listening to a favorite song, squeezing a stress ball.

Reflection & Self-Check

1. Which category of coping strategies do you find most appealing? Why?
   
   
   
2. From each category above, choose one strategy you’d like to try this week. Write it below:
   • Physical: ____________________________
     
     
   • Cognitive: ____________________________
     
     
   • Social: ____________________________
     
     
   • Proactive: ____________________________
     
     
   • Reactive: ____________________________
     
     
3. Think of a recent academic stressor (e.g., upcoming test, big project). Describe the situation and identify which strategy you would use to cope.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. How will you remind yourself to use your chosen coping strategies when you feel stressed?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Use this overview alongside the Personal Coping Toolbox Template to build and customize your own set of strategies. Refer back to this handout whenever you need a refresher on healthy ways to handle stress or tough emotions. Good luck powering up your coping skills!

Personal Coping Toolbox Template

Use this template to build and customize your own Coping Toolbox. Choose at least five strategies from the Coping Skills Overview Handout, write or draw each one in a compartment below, and note when you’ll use it.

Coping Strategy 1

Name of Strategy: _____________________________



When I’ll Use It: ______________________________

Coping Strategy 2

Name of Strategy: _____________________________



When I’ll Use It: ______________________________

Coping Strategy 3

Name of Strategy: _____________________________



When I’ll Use It: ______________________________

Coping Strategy 4

Name of Strategy: _____________________________



When I’ll Use It: ______________________________

Coping Strategy 5

Name of Strategy: _____________________________



When I’ll Use It: ______________________________

Decorate Your Toolbox

Use the space below to draw your toolbox, add colors, icons, or symbols that remind you of each strategy. Make it personal and memorable!

Warm-Up: Stressors Brainstorm

Time: 5 minutes

Purpose: Quickly activate students’ awareness of common academic stressors and set the stage for building coping skills.

1. Individually, brainstorm academic stresses or tough emotions you’ve faced recently. Aim for at least five different stressors.
   1. ____________________________
      
      
   2. ____________________________
      
      
   3. ____________________________
      
      
   4. ____________________________
      
      
   5. ____________________________
      
      
2. Turn to a partner. Share one stressor you wrote down and describe how it made you feel. Then listen as your partner shares one of theirs.
3. Be ready to volunteer one stressor from your list and why you chose it when we debrief as a class.

Cool-Down: Strategy Commitment

Time: 5 minutes

Purpose: Help students solidify their learning by choosing one coping strategy to apply, reflecting on why it fits their needs, and planning how they’ll use it.

Reflect & Plan

1. Which coping strategy will you commit to trying this week?
   
   
   
2. Why did you choose this particular strategy?
   
   
   
3. When and how will you use it?
   
   
   
4. What reminders or supports will help you remember to use it?
   
   
   

Share & Commit

• Turn to a partner and briefly share your strategy and plan.
• Write your commitment on a sticky note and place it on our Commitment Board (or hand it to the teacher).

Remember: Using one new strategy this week is a powerful step toward managing stress and tough emotions more effectively. Good luck powering up your coping skills!