Resilience and Coping Strategies

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Resilience is a key component to your success as a student at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Life experiences include obstacles, disappointments, and loss. It is important to learn to cope with distress in order to persevere and come through stronger, more capable, and wiser.

COPING STRATEGIES

Coping is using strategies to deal with your emotions and overcome difficulties to maintain mental and emotional well-being. These strategies enable individuals to tolerate stress, minimize reactions, and master difficult situations.

Coping skills involve:

  • Emotional expression- recognizing, truly feeling, understanding, and sharing the emotions one feels.
  • Positive thinking- the practice of focusing on the good in any situation and expecting positive outcomes.
  • Relaxation- utilizing mindfulness, deep breathing, and enjoying activities to manage distress.
  • Social support- comfort and assistance provided by friends, family, partners, pets, acquaintances, and mental health providers.
  • Problem-solving- addressing a problem as a way of modifying or eliminating it.
  • Emotional regulation- the ability to respond to demanding experiences and negative emotions with control over one’s mental state and behavior.
  • Maintaining boundaries- setting expectations with others according to what feels comfortable and respectful to you to foster healthy relationships.
  • Cognitive reappraisal- changing one’s thinking from emotional and personal to objective to reduce distress.
  • Finding meaning- drawing on one’s personal beliefs, values, and existential goals to find purpose in life and benefits in misfortune.

Effective coping strategies are different for each person. Additionally, strategies that work under specific circumstances or situations may not be as effective in others. It is important to practice a variety of strategies to get the most benefit from the technique and be able to adapt the strategy to fit the need.

Some examples of coping strategies include:

  • Exercise
  • Yoga
  • Writing
  • Art
  • Garden
  • Read
  • Listen to music
  • Bake
  • Clean/Organize
  • Dance 
  • Stretch
  • Deep breathing
  • Take a nap
  • Knit or sew
  • Play a game
  • Pamper yourself
  • Meditate
  • Connect with nature
  • Watch a favorite show or movie 
  • Play a mind challenge
  • Sing or play a musical instrument
  • Do a DIY or craft project
  • Punch a pillow
  • Pet an animal
  • Go shopping
  • Plan a get-together or event
  • Take a shower or bath
  • Go for a drive
  • Hug someone or a pillow
  • Aromatherapy
  • Connect with others
  • Perform a random act of kindness
  • Volunteer
  • Pray
  • Make a list of what you are grateful for

RESILIENCY

Resiliency is the ability to adapt, cope, and bounce back from hardship. It involves flexibility, optimism, confidence, tolerating distress while maintaining emotional well-being, and learning from one’s experiences. Resiliency improves life satisfaction and success. Some people are naturally more resilient. However, everyone can work to enhance their level of resilience.

To develop resilience, try practicing the following:

  • Be present in the moment, taking note of your surroundings and experiences without judgement.
  • Have confidence in yourself, your beliefs, and what you can accomplish.
  • Invest in your physical health.
  • Engage in self-care and coping.
  • Strive for optimism and limit hostility.
  • Allow yourself to experience positive and negative emotions.
  • Focus on what you can control, including your emotions and reactions.
  • Take action to improve or resolve conflicts.
  • Practice flexibility.
  • Reframe mistakes as learning opportunities.
  • Remain hopeful for positive outcomes.
  • Develop compassion for yourself and others and practice gratitude.
  • Connect with others and accept assistance.
  • Build strong, healthy relationships.
  • Contribute to the needs of others.
  • Expand your sense of purpose and meaning in life.

If you need additional help building emotional resilience, please contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 618-453-5371.

MENTAL HEALTH EARLY ACTION ON CAMPUS ACT

To address gaps in mental health services on college campuses across Illinois, the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act seeks to further identify students with mental health needs and connect them to services, increase access to support services and clinical mental health services on college campuses and in surrounding communities, and empower students through peer-to-peer support and training on mental health needs and resources, and reduce administrative policies that burden students seeking leave for mental health conditions.

To raise mental health awareness at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Wellness and Health Promotion Services coordinates and offers the following:

  • Annual student orientation on mental health conditions
  • Mental Health resources, stigma reducing, and support-seeking behavior messaging
  • The Mindwise anonymous online screening tool
  • The Peer HEROES program
  • Mental Health First Aid training
Please fill out the request workshop online form to request programming.

Resources:

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