30 Coping Skills for Anxiety and Depression

Because your brain isn’t broken, it’s just overwhelmed

There are days when anxiety and depression make it feel like your brain has pulled the emergency brake and left you sitting in a storm of overthinking, exhaustion, and emotional fog.

You forget everything you’ve learned.
You can’t think straight.
And suddenly, brushing your teeth feels like climbing a mountain.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

In moments like these, coping skills aren’t just “nice to have”, they’re survival tools. They help you shift out of survival mode and reconnect with your rational brain so you can calm down, reset, and respond with care instead of chaos.

This post isn’t going to cure your anxiety or depression overnight; it will give you a toolbox to reach for when things get heavy.

Understanding the Emotional Brain

Your brain is wired for survival. When it senses danger (even emotional danger), the limbic system hijacks your thinking brain. That’s your fight/flight/freeze response kicking in.

The problem?
Modern life isn’t all wild animals and falling rocks. But your brain still reacts like your boss’s tone is a lion attack.

Coping skills help quiet the panic button, bring you back to the present, and hand the mic back to your thinking mind.

Why Coping Skills Matter

Coping skills are what help us:

• Pause before reacting
• Soothe our nervous system
• Regain clarity
• Make better decisions
  They don’t erase the pain, but they give us space to breathe through it.

These skills are especially powerful for those living with anxiety, depression, or emotional dysregulation.

HALT: A Quick Self-Check

Before doing anything, pause and HALT.

Are you:

• Hungry
• Angry
• Lonely
• Tired

If yes to any of these, handle that first. Meeting basic needs is often the first step toward emotional stability.

Sensory Coping Skills

Engage your senses to ground yourself in the present moment:

1. Go outside and feel the air
2. Take a mindful walk
3. Listen to calming or feel-good music
4. Wrap yourself in a soft blanket
5. Inhale a soothing scent like lavender or vanilla
6. Get a massage or use a massage tool
7. Exercise – move your body, release those endorphins
8. Hot shower or cold face splash (depends on what you need)
9. Do a hands-on hobby like knitting, painting, or woodwork

These may sound simple, but sensory grounding can interrupt a panic spiral in seconds.

Cognitive Coping Skills

Recenter your thoughts and process your emotions:

1. Brain dump everything you’re thinking, get it OUT
2. Journal what you’re feeling (don’t censor it)
3. Meditate, even 5 minutes helps
4. Practice mindfulness in everyday tasks
5. Pray, reflect, or connect spiritually
6. Color, draw, or get creative with no agenda
7. Use guided imagery – picture a safe, peaceful place
8. Try progressive muscle relaxation – tense, then release

Active Coping Skills

Get out of your head and into something engaging:

1. Play an instrument or sing
2. Watch a short, funny video – let yourself laugh
3. Watch your comfort show (set a limit)
4. Read a book and escape for a while
5. Do a puzzle or play a brain game
6. Plant something, dig in the soil, or sit under a tree
7. Do a skincare routine or at-home spa treatment
8. Make art or music that expresses what you’re feeling

Connection Coping Skills

You don’t have to do this alone:

1. Hug someone safe, safe-hold it for 20 seconds or longer, like a bear hug
2. Cuddle or pet your dog, cat, or favorite animal
3. Call or voice-note a friend and be honest
4. Write a letter to someone (send it or keep it)
5. Draft an email to get your feelings organized before speaking

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Coping Skills

Coping skills should help you cope, not avoid.
Here’s the difference:

Healthy coping:

• Makes you feel better after doing it
• Builds emotional strength over time
• Helps you face, feel, and heal

Unhealthy coping:

• Numbs or distracts temporarily
• Leaves you feeling guilty, drained, or stuck
• Keeps you in cycles of avoidance (like binge eating, doom-scrolling, drinking, etc.)

Sometimes we all reach for quick fixes. That’s human. But the more you practice healthy coping, the more resilient you become.

Create Your Coping Plan

Pick 3 coping skills that feel good to you from this list, ones you can actually picture yourself doing.

Then write down:

• One for when you’re at home
• One for when you’re out
• One for when you’re completely overwhelmed

Also, list 3 people you trust whom you could call or message during a rough patch. Keep this plan somewhere visible, on your phone, notebook, mirror, whatever works.

Final Words

You’re responding to a world and a mind that sometimes get heavy. Coping skills don’t cure anxiety or depression, but they soften the edges, and sometimes that’s enough to get through the day.

Practice them. Personalize them. Repeat them.

You’re doing better than you think ♥