Coping Skills

Psychiatric Mental Health Clinics & Mental Health Clinic located in Springdale, AR

Coping skills are the tools you use to get through stress, grief, anger, and anxiety without making the situation worse. Board-certified psychiatric nurse Tammie Smith, CNS-BC, PMHNP-BC, APRN, at Mindful Mental Health in Springdale, Arkansas, works with teens and adults to build a set of strategies that hold up under pressure. Pick up the phone or use the online scheduler today to set up a telehealth or in-person visit.

Coping Skills Q&A

What are coping skills?

A coping skill is any deliberate action you take to manage a hard moment, and some work better than others. You already use several without thinking about it, whether that means calling a friend after a rough day or going for a walk when your thoughts start spiraling.

Some habits cost you later. A few drinks after work, canceling plans you dread, or snapping at your spouse all take the pressure off for an hour and add to the problem by the next morning. Tammie helps you sort out which of your current strategies work and which ones to replace.

Who benefits from learning coping skills?

This work applies whether or not you carry a psychiatric diagnosis. You might come in because of:

Grief after losing someone
A divorce or breakup
Job loss or workplace pressure
Caregiving for a parent or a sick child
A new medical diagnosis
Anger that gets away from you
Panic that hits without warning
Conflict at home you cannot seem to resolve

Teenagers and adults both benefit, and the skills transfer across nearly every situation life hands you.

What kinds of coping skills will I learn?

Different problems call for different tools. Tammie matches what she teaches to what you’re up against.

Grounding techniques

When your body floods with stress, slow breathing and sensory exercises bring your nervous system back down so you can think clearly.

Cognitive strategies

You learn to catch a distorted thought, test it against the evidence, and arrive at something closer to the truth.

Communication skills

Asking for what you need, setting a limit, and handling conflict all get easier with practice and a script to start from.

How long does it take to build coping skills?

Making a skill automatic usually takes a few months of steady use before it becomes your first response.

Expect some trial and error along the way. A breathing exercise that settles one person down does nothing for the next, and the technique that works at home may be useless in a crowded office. Always report back on what you tried, and Tammie can adjust your coping tools based on your needs.

The right tools make a bad week easier to manage. Reach out to Mindful Mental Health today or request an appointment online at your convenience.