SUMMER SAFETY PLANS Making your own safety plan

SUMMER SAFETY PLANS Making your own safety plan to help het you through the summer

What is a safety plan? ■ A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that can help you avoid dangerous situations and know the best way to react when you are in danger. This plan may includes ways to remain safe while during a confrontation, skills to help you calm and cope through situations, or people you can call when you’re in an emergency.

How to create a safety plan ■ Identify your triggers/stressors – Work to understand your triggers ■ Identify your warning signs – Know when to use your coping skills – Know when to get help ■ Have emergency people you can always talk to when needed. – Adding special and specific people to your safety plan, for when you need a little extra help with a problem or situation.

Know your “triggers” What is a “Trigger” ■ A trigger could be anything about the environment or the situation that “sets off” the behavior. ■ Triggers are very personal; different things trigger different people. A person may begin to avoid situations and/or things that she/he thinks might trigger them. She/he may react to a trigger with extreme emotional intensity. A person’s triggers are activated through one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. ■ The senses identified as being the most common to trigger someone are sight and sound, followed by touch and smell, and taste close behind. A trigger can be a combination of the senses, or just maybe one alone. As previously stated each person is different.

Understanding you triggers ■ Getting to know and understand what triggers you can and will be very useful in the future for your wellness and growth. ■ After identifying a trigger, attempting to avoid a trigger can sometimes help but might not always be healthiest route to take. Learning to cope with a trigger is the more suggested route to take.

Know when to get help. ■ What are the “warning signs” that you are beginning to struggle with your problem? ■ These can include thoughts, behaviors, and emotions… ■ Some common warnings signs in some people are: – Anxiousness – Anger – Outburst – Crying – Feeling hopeless – Thoughts of self harm – Thoughts of hurting others

Coping Skills ■ A coping skill is the methods a person uses to deal with stressful situations. These may help a person face a situation, take action, and be flexible and persistent in solving problems. ■ Examples of coping skills: – Exercising – Talking to friends/family – Writing – Drawing – Going for walks – Listening to music – Watching your favorite tv show – Cooking – Sitting alone in a quiet room – Bike riding – singing

How Can I Develop Stronger Coping Skills in Everyday Life? ■ Everyone’s problems are different, and that includes your experiences of anxiety and depression. However, healthy coping skills are broadly the same for everybody. That means it is possible for anyone to learn them.

Some ways to improve coping skills include: ■ Make Time to Breathe – Negative emotions often seem to pour into us instantly in response to outside events. The first step to stronger coping skills is realizing you can choose how to respond to a crisis. That doesn’t mean avoiding your emotions, but making enough “space” in your mind to think things through. Many people find that taking long, deep breaths while counting mentally to ten helps – it can reduce physical tension, helping you feel more balanced.

Some ways to improve coping skills include(cont. ): ■ Put Things in Perspective – In an average day, everyone faces challenges, big and small. Anxiety and depression can make small problems seem gigantic through catastrophizing, assuming the worst. You might notice your mind leaps to worst case scenarios when a problem arises. Don’t feel bad! You can train yourself for healthier thoughts. Ask yourself: “How likely is this outcome, really? ” And: “What other outcomes are more likely than this worst case scenario? ”

Some ways to improve coping skills include(cont. ): ■ Think in Terms of Action – Sometimes, circumstances in life may make us feel helpless – as if there’s nothing constructive we can do. The thing is, there’s always something, no matter how small. If you try to focus only on solutions that will totally resolve the problem, you may get frustrated. Instead, think: “What small step can I take right now to make things a little bit better? ” Take action on that and then, when you’re done, try to build on it.

Some ways to improve coping skills include(Cont. ): ■ Develop Positive Habits – Avoiding problems is not healthy, but giving yourself time to think can help. However, it’s important to make that time count. Instead of watching TV or eating a snack while you worry, try to get outside for a walk. Stay active – exercise, engage in a creative hobby, or do chores or other small tasks you need to get done. A brief break can refresh you and help you think more clearly when you return to the issue.

Hopefully after completing this activity you have a better understanding of what a safety plan is and how to create your own. Feel free to come back and reference this activity as needed.