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Taking Care of Myself
What You can Do: Thinking, Feelings, Actions
Everyone experiences stress in their life. When either really good or really bad things happen in one’s life, it can lead a person to feel pressure, or worry. Sometimes stress builds up when a whole bunch of things happen at the same time. The good news is that a person who feels stress can often think, feel, and act in ways that help them deal with stress better. This is called coping. Coping helps a person manage their stress. Coping skills get stronger when a person works on positive or open-minded thinking, manages negative feelings, or does things that are fun or that interrupt the worrying thoughts.
For example, Tracy had a social science test, and a try out for the basketball team in the same week. To add to the picture, Tracy's father was drinking a lot and Tracy's mother was really grumpy this week. Tracy's crush ignored Tracy at the lockers in school today. Tracy's father's alcoholism and his mother's depression seem to affect his thoughts, feelings, and actions. Click on each box to learn how Tracy handled these situations by thinking, feeling, and acting in ways that helped Tracy cope with the stress.
