Tag Archives: empowerment

A Great Way to Plan Ahead: Use a Coping Plan!

June 26, 2020 Mary Knutson

Your path ahead looks uncertain, and it will be full of ups and downs. Most people struggle with how to cope when their emotions may tend to get out of control.

What is a Coping Plan?

I would like to share a simple worksheet that was developed to help with that. It will guide you to put some thought into what “triggers” you, and what warning signs would be seen by others when you are upset.

It also helps you explore what is helpful and what is not helpful if you feel like you are losing control. The Coping plan can be shared with others, so they understand more about you and your needs. And, you will be able to be more prepared for successful coping if you plan ahead.

How to Use a Coping Plan

Please go to to my Coping Plan webpage to read more about using the worksheet and about Trauma-Informed Care. It was developed to help prevent people from being re-traumatized because of the reactions of others to their behaviors. To summarize:

Trauma can shape people’s mental, emotional, spiritual
and physical well-being. Nearly every
family is impacted in some way. Instead of asking “what is wrong with you?” ask “what has happened to you?” Reduce the blame and shame that some people feel. Build understanding of how the past impacts the present and help you progress
toward healing and recovery

The original link used for the information above was:

WI Dept. of Health Services. (2012). Wisconsin State Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)
Educational and Media Campaign. Retrieved 7-15-12 from
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/mh_bcmh/tic/index.htm

A current link for more information about Trauma-Informed Care is https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/resilient/trauma-informed-practices.htm

You will probably also learn that your behaviors are not so different than many other people who we interacted with as we developed the worksheet.

The coping plan worksheet is available here >>>

Find successful ways to cope

My goal is to help people who are struggling with anxiety, anger, depression, addiction, or other behavior problems to cope better. There are lots of ideas on the worksheet!

Share your coping plan with people around you

Allow family, friends, and community be able to help you more. Things usually seem easier when they are discussed ahead of time and they know what to expect. Stronger relationships can happen with better coping.

Hopefully, life’s path will look brighter as you feel more prepared and in control. I hope this information is helpful to you!

Blog Post # 20 written 6-25-20 by Mary Knutson

Recovery

Your Strengths for Recovery

December 7, 2015 Mary Knutson

Everyone has strengths

Knowing your strengths can help you be more confident with a more positive attitude. Strength-based recovery uses your goals and talents to help you get through rough times. First, start with what you already have and then build on them to gain insight, ability, and power that can help you make healthy changes.

As we grow in age, we also have the chance to develop and improve. Focusing on your strengths instead of weaknesses can help you toward recovery.

The tiny kitten in the picture above doesn’t look like he has many strengths, but he did. He grew up to be a large, healthy cat named Duke. He stayed playful and sweet, but he became strong, agile, and wise.

What strengths do you have?

See some common ones listed below (and you may add others). Notice the ones that you have. After that, think about which ones you would like to improve on:

Curiosity, or love of learning
Persistence
Kindness
Social intelligence
Humility
Self-control
Gratitude
Hopefulness
Able to adapt
Able to cope well
Express emotions well
Assertive
Courageous
Creative
Energetic or active
Having faith or spirituality
Future or goal oriented
Being a good citizen or team player
Good sense of humor
Intelligent or wise
Motivated
Open-minded
Polite or kind
Realistic
Resourceful
Responsible or trustworthy
Self-reliant
Sensitive
Strong support system
Thoughtful
Having zest for life

Your strengths for recovery:

Strength-based Recovery promotes resilience and self-acceptance, improving empowerment in recovery. And, it helps you succeed in challenging situations that may seem hopeless or helpless.

Build hope from within. Look at past successes and promote change by asking:

What has worked before?
What has not worked?

Remember that you are unique – Your strengths and weaknesses are not the same as anyone else’s . By looking at your own set of strengths, a realistic, specific plan can be made to develop them. Then, allow your strengths to help you and your situation as you recover.

Blog # 7 written 12-6-15 by Mary Knutson of Health Vista, Inc.

Updated 5-25-20

Recovery

Resources for Recovery

October 20, 2015 Mary Knutson

Recovery Resources:

Many of the recovery resources were written while working with psychiatric patients. However, they were made to be helpful for recovery from other kinds of illness, or for general wellness or well-being.

Many presentations and learning activities are shared in Health Vista’s resources for recovery. They are organized under the seven elements of recovery, the same framework used for Recovery Education lessons.

Elements of Recovery:

Hope
Security
Support/Managing Symptoms
Empowerment
Relationships
Coping
Finding Meaning

Find resources for recovery from Health Vista

When I was working in Inpatient Behavioral Health, I started developing and writing simple but engaging and effective patient education and learning activities.

Through the years, I also collected a wide variety of free resources for recovery include Powerpoints and many other links for health education and motivation. I wanted to make them available for others to use. Although not all of the Recovery Education lessons are posted online, many of them are. More may be added in the future, so check back often. Here are some examples:

You can find the Hopelessness to Hope Lesson handout here.

Click to see the Finding Hope Pathfinder. That recovery lesson was made into a video YouTube to help you toward the first step to recovery. You can also use the Positive Words Discussion Guide.

Click the title to watch Finding Your Way to Recovery

Recovery Workbooks:

I wrote many simple, clear, and short workbooks to share. I have donated some to community groups, but the cost of printing is too high to make them all free. The workbooks have a cost, but they are on the healthvista.net website. Topics include Managing Pain, Managing Long-term Pain, Managing Depression, Managing Anger, Managing Addiction, Managing Illness, Managing Mental Illness, and Coping with Trauma.

Contact me by e-mail if you want to ask if some prices can be changed. The following coping workbook is available free of charge:

Your Recovery Workbook: Coping and Relaxation [.pdf] can be downloaded free and printed out.

As you will see, my website contains many free, but very valuable resources, Please browse and explore the lessons, handouts, learning activities, and links at https://healthvista.net/health-resources/recovery-resources/

I suggest that you start by Exploring Mindfulness . Then, begin Taking Recovery Steps:

Ups and downs are to be expected – It is best to handle them as calmly as possible, using help and support to get back on track
Take small steps – You will get to where you are going (no matter how long it takes) if you go in the right direction
You feel more in control when you take the recovery steps at your own pace
In life, there is always hope, but sometimes you have to change what you are hoping for.
Be open to learning and change as you start your recovery journey

“I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I expect to spend the rest of my life.” – Charles F. Kettering

Updated 5-27-20 by Mary Knutson