Social Work Resources

How to identify, and then deal with, your emotions

Emotional regulation skills

Conflict resolution skills

Creating and enforcing boundaries

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy skills

Emotional intelligence ideals to aim for

Axes of self-care/wellbeing

Self-care self-evaluation (find out where you’re starting)

How to make a self-care checklist

How to start a self-care habit

Reparenting resources

Crash Course Psychology

KhanAcademy: Understanding the Self and Society (some units more relevant than others)

Emotional education activities for children and teens

Here’s a link where you can get zoom recordings of that training btw! They ask for a suggested donation but are also completely fine with people accessing it for free and do not want to create barriers to access.

This post doesn’t contain links to many professional resources - it’s a list of coping tips from people who are mentally ill/disabled themselves and who all decided to share what has worked for them here on tumblr. In the last 7 months I have been sharing content created for and by mentally ill/disabled people on this blog - and to celebrate reaching 5000 followers, I have decided to collect all the best coping tips I’ve come across in one easily accessible place. Enjoy!

Managing emotions:

Letting go of emotional suffering via mindfulness.

DBT strengthening statements

Handling negative emotions

The “emotions are signals” method

The “mindfully recognizing emotions” method

Healthy perspectives on emotions

The “emotions are like hiccups” method

The “healthy outlets” method

Managing anxiety:

Coping statements for anxiety.

Breathing exercise gif

Breathing exercise gif 2

Things to remember when having an anxiety attack

The “just show up” method

The “panicky friend” method

Grounding techniques 

The “I can survive the next 10 seconds” method

The “distract your brain” method

The “you will be able to cope” method

Managing depression:

7 depression tips and why they work

Depression tips

21 tips to keeping your shit together when you’re depressed

Managing executive dysfunction:

The “might as well” method.

The “one step access” method.

Why self-discipline isn’t always the answer. 

The “use whatever works” method.

The “taking care of someone else” method.

The “june-bugging” method.

Tricks for pushing through executive dysfunction

The “do several things at once” method

The “accept your limits” methods

The “turn it into a game” method

The “anything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method

The “tricking your brain” method

The “untangling the spaghetti” method.

The “smaller steps” method

The “emergency cleaning” method

The “letting go of should” method.

The “my body is an animal I need to care about” method

The “fork theory” method

The “remove the barriers” method

The “half-ass things” method

Managing negative thinking:

Challenging cognitive distortions.

Finding alternative thoughts.

Challenging negative thoughts

How to get over past mistakes

Toxic positivity vs hope and validation

How to improve your self-esteem

Negative and positive cognitions

The “self neutrality” method

The “separate your negative qualities from your identity” method

Self talk to help end obsessions

Ten forms of twisted thinking + ten ways to untwist your thinking

Managing self care:

How to practice balanced self care.

Why hands-on hobbies are important

Ways to self-soothe

A list of mental illness workbooks 

Ways to start feeling again

How to get back on track after a breakdown

How to self-soothe and treat yourself

Types of healthy coping skills

The “parenting yourself” method

An interactive self care guide

The “don’t ignore your needs” method

Online self care

Making the most of therapy

Free worksheets for people who can’t access therapy

The “add good things to your life” method

Showering for spoonies

The “do what you can” method

The “it isn’t a waste of time just because it won’t cure you” method.

Self care cheat sheet

The “create something” method

Managing school:

Studying with anxiety and depression

Studying with mental illness

Coping with dissociation in school

Managing exam periods when you’re mentally ill

The “done is better than none” method

How to survive college

Managing urges to harm yourself:

What to do to when you’re suicidal

Questions to ask before giving up

Alternatives to self harm

okay

2. Paying attention to what you’re doing ; changing and completing tasks

3. Ability to direct your focus ; ability to process what you’re doing

4. Understanding & expressing emotions in healthy ways

5. y’know that thing where you put something down and it’s Gone Now? That’s an example of this. Things sticking in your short-term memory, you being able to remember them.

DBT Self-Help Resources: Ways to Describe Emotions

To be used with Emotion Regulation Worksheets 4, 4a

Also look at: Emotions List -  Using an Emotions List to help Label an Emotion

Search results for Emotion Dysregulation - Definition of Emotion Dysregulation

Source: Marsha M. Linehan (2015) DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition The Guilford Press

Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is an extreme emotional sensitivity and emotional pain triggered by the perception – not necessarily the reality – that a person has been rejected, teased, or criticized by important people in their life. RSD may also be triggered by a sense of failure, or falling short – failing to meet either their own high standards or others’ expectations.

Dysphoria is Greek for “difficult to bear.” It’s not that people with ADHD are wimps, or weak; it’s that the emotional response hurts them much more than it does people without the condition.

When this emotional response is internalized, it can imitate full, major depression complete with suicidal ideation. The sudden change from feeling perfectly fine to feeling depressed that results from RSD is often misdiagnosed as rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

It can take a long time for physicians to recognize that these symptoms are caused by the sudden emotional changes associated with ADHD and rejection sensitivity, while all other object relations are totally normal.

When this emotional response is externalized, it looks like an impressive, instantaneous rage at the person or situation responsible for causing the pain. 50% of people who are assigned court-mandated anger-management treatment have previously unrecognized ADHD.

I always thought Aipom looks like a pervert and one thing led to another, now I rename all the Aipom’s I catch to names of rapists. I gotta say there’s something really satisfying about putting them in gyms where everyone can see their names.

#meetoomonkey

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

CBT & Self help for anger Anger problems workbook  Anger management tips & techniques  Anger & aggression management  Anger & aggressive behaviour leaflet  Controlling anger guide Dealing with anger & impulsivity (PDF)

Anxiety   Overcoming health anxiety (9 modules with workbooks)  Improving self esteem (9 modules with workbooks)  Overcoming perfectionism (9 modules with workbooks)   Mastering general anxiety & worries (11 modules with workbooks)  General self help strategies  Self help home toolkit   How to tolerate uncertainty  Applied tension technique (for those who faint at sight of blood/needles)  Self help for specific phobias  Youth anxiety self help  How to stop worrying  Flying phobia self help  General anxiety disorder self help (3 steps)  Anxiety workbook  CBT & Self help for general anxiety CBT & Self help for phobias  CBT & Self help for health anxiety  CBT & Self help for low self esteem  CBT & Self help for stress  Anxiety & panic leaflet  Phobias leaflet  Anxiety self help guide  Health anxiety self help guide Stress workbook Stress management course Hints to avoid harmful stress

Bipolar Disorder  Coping with Bipolar Disorder (8 modules with workbooks)  CBT & Self help for bipolar Bipolar support & self help Wellbeing plan for Bipolar disorder (PDF) Bipolar disorder mood chart (PDF)

Also see anger/irritability, depression, insomnia & impulsivity resources.

Borderline Personality Disorder  Overcoming distress intolerance (4 modules with workbooks) Ten coping skills for BPD  Coping with BPD BPD resource list

Also see CBT, DBT, self harm, anger/irritability, suicidal thoughts, impulsivity & depression resources.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)  7 Step self help course  CBT Based self help  CBT Worksheets & Information sheets  Free self help worksheets

Concentration & Time management  Put off procrastinating (7 modules with workbooks)  Guide for goal setting  Concentration leaflet  Sitting exams leaflet  Procrastination leaflet

Depression & Low mood  Coping with depression (9 modules with workbooks)  The Journal depression help  CBT & Self help for depression  Depression leaflet  Depression & low mood self help guide  Depression workbook Dealing with depression tips Antidepressant skills workbook (PDF) Undoing depression: A self help site Worry & sadness course Depression mood chart (PDF) Exercise to beat depression Handout 1 | Handout 2 | Handout 3 | Handout 4 Thinking your way out of depression (CBT)

Dialectal Behaviour Therapy (DBT)  DBT Self help (videos, worksheets, activities etc.) DBT Worksheets  Mindfulness Skills Workbook Coping & Relationship skills  Ways to manage distress right now  Letting go of emotional suffering  Mindfulness leaflet Appraising change (PDF) Honest communication (PDF)  Goal setting Mindfulness in everyday life Quick relaxation techniques

Eating disorders & Body image Overcoming body dysmorphia (7 modules with workbooks) Overcoming disordered eating Part A | Part B (9 modules each part)  CBT & Self help for anorexia  CBT & Self help for bulimia & binge eating  Eating disorders leaflet  Eating disorders self help guide Eating disorder coping skills Tips & strategies for overcoming eating disorders

Fatigue & Chronic pain  CBT & Self help for chronic fatigue & pain Chronic pain workbook Restless legs syndrome self help Treating chronic fatigue & Fibromyalgia Chronic fatigue self help Fatigue fighter self help The pain toolkit (PDF) Chronic pain patient’s guide to pain free hours (PDF) Chronic pain survival handbook (PDF)

Impulsive thoughts & behaviours ADHD in adults: Managing impulsivity Managing impulsive behaviours 5 Tips for changing impulsive behaviours Impulse control strategies

Insomnia & Sleep difficulties  Getting to sleep  Sleep hygiene  CBT & Self help for sleep issues  Insomnia leaflet  Sleeping problems self help guide Sleep problems workbook How to sleep better Can’t sleep?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder  How to manage obsessions  Manage your OCD at home   What to do while obsessing  Stopping your compulsions  CBT & Self help for OCD  Obsessions & compulsions self help guide Obsessions & compulsions workbook

Panic Attacks  Coping with panic attacks (12 modules with workbooks)  Self help strategies for Panic Disorder  Panic attack self help programme  CBT & Self help for Panic Disorder  Panic self help guide Panic workbook

Psychosis  CBT & Self help for psychosis  Hearing voices self help guide Schizophrenia treatment & recovery Self help measures for psychosis Guided self help for psychosis (PDF)

Social Anxiety  Coping with social anxiety (12 modules with workbooks)  Improving your social skills  Home management strategies for social anxiety  Improve your assertiveness (10 modules with workbooks)  CBT & Self help for social anxiety  Shyness & social anxiety self help guide Shyness & social anxiety workbook Shyness/Social anxiety course

Self harm  Self harm leaflet  Self harm self help guide Self harm alternatives & distractions Cutting & self harm help Self injury self help ideas Self harm coping plan (Link at bottom of page) Stopping self harm

Suicidal thoughts  CBT & Self help for suicidal thoughts Dealing with suicidal thoughts & feelings Suicide: Read this first Making a safety plan (Link at bottom of page) Ways to help yourself when you’re feeling suicidal What can I do if I’m feeling suicidal? Self help for the suicidal workbook Suicide hotlines by country

Trauma & Abuse  Self help for PTSD  CBT & Self help for PTSD  Post traumatic stress leaflet  Information for adults abused as children  Dealing with abuse guide  Post Traumatic stress self help guide Post traumatic stress workbook Safety & escaping domestic violence Help for abused men Coping with PTSD How to recover from disasters & traumatic events