[Victoria'smom]

I need to start learning more non-medicated coping skills. Any Idea's on how to: I have no money and currently can't exercise.

[middlepath]

Sensory strategies that are free or close to it:

critical moments...hold ice cube in hand until urge passes.
non-critical moments...Hot bath, self-massage (if nobody is around to help : ), breathing meditation.

Non-sensory: taken from DBT (currently my favorite bit) "just the facts" you can take any situation and rather than apply judgements, you view the situation by stating just the facts. This is not an attempt to take negatives and make positive at all...it is simply removing judgement to effectively access situations and effectively solve issues while breaking the cycle of continuous negative thought patterns (if i understand it correctly).
ie. instead of saying something like "I am the worst person ever for having done XYZ" , you can state the facts and say "i did XYZ", "there may be consequences to having done XYZ" an effective solution to addressing this is "ABC".

If you are not in a position to state the facts go to sensory critical coping and try to distance yourself from the situation for awhile until it is approachable under "Wise Mind" conditions. Wise Mind=Emotional Mind (feelings) + Rational Mind (Reason).

I am eager to hear other responses because I am trying to learn coping skills, too.

[Moodswing]

Safe space imagery? Think of a place(anytime in your life) that made you feel safe, happy, ok....

Watch a youtube video on how to juggle and then try it

Walk around the house BACKWARDS. Don't trip!

[A Red Panda]

What sort of coping skills do you already use?

I've talked about it in loads of other threads, but I do a lot of telling my brain off. Literally. "KNOCK IT OFF BRAIN!" is one of my most recurrant thoughts.

I set goals for myself too. Usually there's more tangible goals and a few, larger, self-improvement goals. I do this so that I feel more of a success, because rewiring my brain has been going on for a decade and will likely be going on for another decade or so. But informing myself that despite it all, I will get my paperwork organized. Then I get that done and go "YEAH! I DID IT!" and then I will go on to the next one. Sometimes I throw in fun goals and rewards too like "Ok! You are going to get to a climbing wall when you're visiting your friends this summer!" That to me is a goal that I am really looking forward to doing, so I'm motivated to get my friends in on that one. If it fails? I'll be disappointed, but it's an opportunity to teach myself how to handle failure and disappointment in a logical way. "Oh, I didn't get to the climbing wall because X couldn't afford it/we were so busy doing other things/we got lost on the way there/etc" instead of beating myself up for not getting to do that.

At school, if my students start to get on my nerves? I'm honest to them. "I am HIGHLY DISPLEASED because of this behaviour from all of you." and then I will often redirect the lesson into something that they shouldn't need me help. And then I will do something in the room that needs done that involves me not having to talk to them. I can delay this if I'm in the middle of the lesson, because as I teach I'm reminding myself that they're kids, and that after I'm done with the lesson I can take a few minutes. If I have to I'll even say something like "Right now I am quite upset with this class because of X. I don't want to stay angry with you, and I know that you don't want me to stay angry either. So try really hard to work quietly and I am not going to respond to you for a few minutes. I need my minute." (I also allow them to take a minute or so out in the hall if they need to as well).

[jadedbutterfly]

change your environment: go to a different room or even just look out a window for a few minutes. think of a color and try to find 5 things around you that are that color and say what it is out loud. works for a letter as well pick a letter find 5 things around you that begin with that letter and say them out loud.
breathing exercises:
1: count your inhales/exhales in your head up to 10 and back again... example "in 1..out 1, in 2 out 2..."
2: this one is good but harder to explain. using your thumb and first finger. place your thumb on the side of your right nostrils (closing the airway) breathe in through your left side. then put your finger on the left nostril and breathe OUT through your right, inhale through the right, thumb to the right side, breathe out your left... and so on for a few moments ... hope that was explained well enough
3: breathe into your belly... untighten your belly and breathe in deep hold for a second then slowly let it out repeat....
those are a few that are relatively easy, hope this helps