ELI5: mental health coping strategies

high confidence

April 10, 2026

// explanation

// eli5Coping strategies are like tools in a toolbox that help your feelings feel better when you're sad or worried. You can use exercise like running or playing [2], write in a journal or draw pictures [2], do deep breathing [5], or take breaks from sad news on your phone [1][3]. It's like giving your brain a hug or a time-out to calm down, kind of like how you feel better after playing with toys or eating a snack when you're upset [1][2][5].

// sources

[1]Managing Stress | Mental Health - CDC

Jun 9, 2025 ... Healthy ways to cope with stress · Take breaks from news and social media. It is good to be informed, but constant information about negative ...

[2]Mental Health Minute: 99 Positive Coping Skills - Family Health Clinic

99 Positive Coping Methods · Exercise (running, walking, sports, working out) · Yoga · Write (journal, poetry, stories) · Scribble/doodle on paper · Draw a ...

[3]Coronavirus: Mental Health Coping Strategies - NAMI

Mar 20, 2020 ... What Can I Do? · Be Mindful of Your News Consumption · Take Care of Yourself · Find Things to Do/Distractions · Help Others. The helper ...

[4]Coping Mechanisms - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - NIH

... mental health outcomes and higher levels of psychopathology symptoms. These ... Monitoring patients' coping strategies using various coping scales ...

[5]Self-Help Techniques for Coping with Mental Illness | NAMI

Feb 1, 2019 ... Self-Help Techniques for Coping with Mental Illness · Radical Acceptance · Deep Breathing · Opposite-to-Emotion Thinking · The 5 Senses · Mental ...

[6]Coping Skills for Anxiety or Depression 13/30 How to Process Emotionsvideo

Video by Therapy in a Nutshell

[7]Are Your Coping Mechanisms Healthy? | Andrew Miki | TEDvideo

Video by TED

[8]25 Amazing COPING SKILLS Everyone Needsvideo

Video by Kati Morton

want to reach people learning about mental health coping strategies? place your brand on this page -

explain something else →