The coping strategies survivors adopt as a child or young person often continue into adulthood. These strategies can help us manage strong emotions, changes in arousal, and feelings of overwhelm, which are common with trauma.
While coping strategies are often protective at first, some can become less helpful over time. Healing is not about getting rid of coping strategies, but about understanding them and building new resources and constructive ways to cope that support you now.
Coping through grounding
Learning about trauma responses as survival responses and why we cope in certain ways can help reduce the shame and self-blame many survivors experience. When your nervous system has learned that the world can be unsafe, finding safety even in small moments can help.
Simple grounding practices can help reduce the emotional intensity when things feel overwhelming. For example, many people may have tried: sitting with their feet on the ground and notice the support of the chair or floor, looking around and naming a few things they can see, hear, or feel, wrapping themselves in something warm and comforting or gently remind themselves: “I am safe here now.”
There is no one way to cope. What helps can vary over time, and what feels supportive for you in each moment is up to you. For many, it is helpful to understand more about how the body responds to trauma and to explore new strategies for managing strong emotions, such as the simply grounding activities offered above. We’re also offering a short grounding clip you can try if and when it feels right for you. You are welcome to pause, skip, or return to this clip at any time.
