Coping Skills: Kitten Videos

[ysabetwordsmith]

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This is the current list of coping skills.

7. Watch cute kitten videos on YouTube.

I especially love Cats vs. Christmas.

Comments

[caera_ash]

I'm subscribed to a daily cuteness pinglist on the forum for a game I play. It was my best choice of the past year.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That is a very clever idea.

[fuzzyred]

Kittens! I need to remember this the next time I need cheering up. I know pictures of kittens work for me, but sometimes that's hard to remember in the moment.

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

YouTube will save files. You could collect cute kitten videos there.

Another way would be to make a list of URLs that you can paste into a searchbox as needed.

Keep a reference to your kitten video stash in your Emotional First Aid Kit. Nobody is good at thinking up cheerful things when upset.

There are also helpful labels:
https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/In-The-Event-Of-An-Emotional-Breakdown-Place-Cat-Here-Funny-by-elmaimouni96/69797782.EJUG5

Re: Well ...

[fuzzyred]

Thanks for the tips! The less I need to remember when upset, the better. My reasoning brain goes right out the window as soon as high emotions are involved, much to my chagrin.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That happens to most people. Things you can do:

* Make an Emotional First Aid Kit. This will help soothe high emotions in the moment.

https://www.essentiallifeskills.org/resources/Emotional%20First%20Aid%20Kit.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20141125021648/https://thoughtcatalog.com/brianna-wiest/2014/11/21-things-everybody-should-collect-and-keep-for-their-emotional-first-aid-kit/

https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/10976564.html


* Study the nature of emotions and their vocabulary. It is easier to get control of things that you can name, and many exercises include naming the emotion(s) you're feeling now.

https://positivepsychology.com/positive-negative-emotions/

https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-positive-emotions/

https://positivepsychology.com/positive-emotions-list-examples-definition-psychology/

https://positivepsychology.com/negative-emotions/

https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-wheel/

https://www.jacquelinehogan.com/wheel-of-emotion/

https://practicalpie.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-Emotion-Wheel-768x846.png


* Sit with your feelings. Some feelings are like toddlers and just want your attention. Once they have it, some of them will fall asleep and stop bothering you. Attention completes the emotion.

https://www.mikeveny.com/blog/learning-to-sit-with-your-feelings-html

https://www.gottman.com/blog/6stepstomindfullydealwithdifficultemotions/

https://www.dochaspsych.com/blog-getting-comfortable-with-uncomfortable-emotions-3-steps-to-sit-with-your-feelings/

https://introspectionbeverlyhills.com/2019/01/23/how-to-sit-with-feelings-of-sadness/


* Practice with cognitive behavioral therapy. This helps you return logic to emotional chaos, especially the awareness of thought distortions and the use of worksheets to lay out points on paper.

https://positivepsychology.com/cbt-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-techniques-worksheets/


* Practice with meditation. This increases your self-awareness and calm, decreases monkeymind issues like chattering and worrying, and improves your ability to snap yourself out of unhelpful mindstates.

https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-positive-psychology-3-great-insights/

https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-exercises-techniques-activities/

https://positivepsychology.com/category/meditation/

https://web.archive.org/web/20150131061905/https://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation/


* Practice with emotional regulation. This helps you modulate emotions of all kinds.

https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-regulation/

https://web.archive.org/web/20200804044353/https://manhattanmentalhealthcounseling.com/5-emotional-regulation-skills/

https://www.lifehack.org/844538/emotional-regulation

http://www.indigodaya.com/wpcf7_captcha/2019/04/Coping-skills-flyer-v5_Indigo-Daya.pdf

https://jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Reduce-Stress-with-your-Senses.png


* Learn how to express your emotions. These skills let you dial up your feelings when you need to focus on them, so you can process them.

https://positivepsychology.com/express-emotions/

https://www.verywellmind.com/share-your-feelings-with-your-spouse-2300518

https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/healthy-ways-express-feelings/

https://www.wikihow.com/Express-Your-Feelings

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/10-ways-express-yourself

https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/6-types-of-expressive-therapies/


* Learn how to stay calm in a crisis. These skills let you dial down your feelings when they are in the way, so you can focus on other things.

https://www.wikihow.com/Be-Calm

https://www.wikihow.com/Calm-Down-Quickly

https://www.wikihow.com/Stay-Calm-when-Infuriated

https://www.wikihow.com/Stay-Calm-When-Things-are-Chaotic

https://www.wikihow.com/Be-Calm-in-a-Stressful-Situation

https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Staying-Calm


* Read Prometheus Rising, an instruction manual for brains and minds.


* Study the nature of emotions and their vocabulary. It is easier to get control of things that you can name, and many exercises include naming the emotion(s) you're feeling now.

https://positivepsychology.com/positive-negative-emotions/

https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-positive-emotions/

https://positivepsychology.com/positive-emotions-list-examples-definition-psychology/

https://positivepsychology.com/negative-emotions/

https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-wheel/

https://www.jacquelinehogan.com/wheel-of-emotion/

https://practicalpie.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-Emotion-Wheel-768x846.png

https://www.centervention.com/list-of-emotions-135-words-that-express-feelings/

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/learning-these-20-foreign-words-for-emotions-you-never-knew-you-had-will-increase-your-eq.html


* Know how to help other people with their feelings. Lots of folks lack basic emotional skills, especially if they came from a disadvantaged background. Small children especially rely on adults to regulate their emotions for them.

https://www.wikihow.com/Comfort-an-Upset-Friend

https://www.wikihow.com/Console-an-Upset-Friend

https://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/self/11-ways-you-can-calm-down-an-angry-friend-256568.html

https://projectlets.org/emergency-action-for-panic-attacks

https://web.archive.org/web/20220108014920/https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/social-skills/how-to-comfort-someone-whos-sad-crying/

https://thevou.com/lifestyle/how-to-comfort-cheer-up-make-someone-feel-better/

https://positivepsychology.com/validation-in-therapy

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pieces-mind/201204/understanding-validation-way-communicate-acceptance

Emotional and Spiritual Triage

https://iamarockstar.me/10-ways-to-build-a-foundation-of-trust-with-a-trauma-survivor/

https://childmind.org/article/can-help-kids-self-regulation/

https://www.gottman.com/blog/age-age-guide-helping-kids-manage-emotions/

https://www.thehighlysensitivechild.com/sensitive-child-handle-big-emotions/

Re: Well ...

[fuzzyred]

Thank you for all the fantastic links! It's going to take me a while to make my way through them all, but there is a lot of useful stuff here.

I find having a starting point helps; then I don't feel so lost when trying to work through everything. Thanks again for your work on finding these links :)

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service.

Don't try to do everything at once. Just grab something that looks good and try it out. If it doesn't work, you can try a different thing next time.

Re: Well ...

[fuzzyred]

That is very good advice. I'm thinking I might start with the links that give more information on identifying and vocabulary for emotions; that is a weak spot of mine.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That sounds like an excellent starting point. Once you've learned as many new emotion words as you want for now, you could pick one and do exercises with it, like drawing an emotion or whatever.

Re: Well ...

[fuzzyred]

Oh! That sounds like a very good way to get practise with the new words, and identifying the feelings.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

There are lots of different exercises to try with emotion words. Look at characters in a movie or book and try to describe what they are feeling. Make an abstract rendition of a feeling. Use the word in a sentence or write something about it. That sort of thing.

Re: Well ...

[fuzzyred]

Those sound like an excellent starting place. They will be going on my list of tools for improving emotional awareness. Thank you! :)

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's good to hear.

There are all kinds of emotional exercises to explore.

https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-intelligence-exercises/

https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/FSA/Documents/Rubrics/EI_Exercises.pdf?ver=izYrk5nsAy2Td2mHkrb9tw%3D%3D

Re: Well ...

[fuzzyred]

Thanks for the links, those look like very helpful exercises.

[chanter1944]

Cute kitty videos are delightful!

There's one out there with seven purring foster kittens that turns me into a melted Chanter, because awwww. That litter had a whole vlog series following their adventures, up through their adoptions. <3

Another favorite is of a darling of a chirpy trilly chatterbox of a Maine coon! All the squeaks, chirps, and purrs. <3

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I also like cats and boxes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXS_sMYdqco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J11uu8L8FTY

https://www.pawsomecouture.com/blogs/cats/why-do-cats-like-boxes