We’ve written about coping skills on our blog and we’ve gone deeper about coping skills in our book Hope Awakened. I want to say a little more in general about coping skills. Let me share this:

A few years ago I experienced several impactful traumas in a very short period of time. I was overwhelmed with shock, grief, despair, and other intense emotions. All in all, they were way too big for me to process. Some things I did to cope were listening to calming music, writing haikus, drawing, and a lot of walking. You could call these coping skills since they allowed me to shift my focus onto activities that calmed me, even distracted me.

It was important for me to do things that kept me from drowning in intense emotions. That’s a good thing.

However, if I continued to utilize coping skills to avoid emotions meant that I wasn’t processing them. They were stuck in my system unresolved. I had a fabulous therapist, an Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner, and a Core Transformation practitioner. I worked with these professionals as well as applying EFT and CT on my own to slowly work through the traumas.

My point is that utilizing coping skills definitely has benefits, but it’s also important to not use coping skills as an avoidance tactic. Acknowledging and working through emotions is important so you can experience resolution and freedom. If you cannot find a therapist or practitioner, perhaps you have a family member, friend, or spiritual guide (pastor, rabbi, etc.) to assist you. Sometimes you might have to do this on your own. Go gently and slowly. Little by little over time you can heal.