Therapist Approved: Things That Technically Count as Coping

We love to make coping look cute.
A whole aesthetic is built around it: the soft lighting, the yoga mat that always stays clean, the perfect morning routine with lemon water and affirmations.

But in real life?
Coping doesn’t always come with matching loungewear and a neatly labeled journal.
Sometimes coping looks like surviving a Tuesday.

And that counts, too.

Because coping isn’t about being calm, centered, and mindful all the time.
It’s about finding ways, any ways, to keep going when life feels like too much.

So here’s a list of things that technically count as coping, even if they don’t look very “wellness influencer” of you.

Reorganizing your entire closet at 10 p.m. on a Saturday.
You’re not procrastinating, you’re creating order where chaos once lived. Sure, it might be avoidance, but it’s productive avoidance. And that’s still a win.

Crying in the car with music way too loud.
That’s emotional release and auditory grounding. It’s practically therapy with better acoustics.

Eating the leftovers cold because reheating feels like a lot.
Sometimes, the bare minimum is the best you can do, and that’s okay. Energy conservation is a legitimate coping skill.

Watching a show you’ve already seen eight times.
That’s not laziness; that’s seeking predictability in an unpredictable world. Comfort television exists for a reason.

Taking a walk because your house feels loud even when it’s quiet.
That’s mindfulness in motion. Walking it off still counts when your thoughts come with you.

Wandering through a store with no list and no timeline.
Therapeutically speaking, you’re exposing yourself to dopamine in the wild.

Sitting on the edge of your bed for 20 minutes before showering.
That’s pacing, grounding, self-regulation, and eventually following through. You did it. That’s coping.

Drinking your emotional support beverage.
Water, coffee, tea, soda — doesn’t matter. Hydration and ritual both regulate the nervous system.

Talking to your pet like they’re your therapist.
Unconditional positive regard and eye contact? That’s a co-regulation miracle.

The truth is, coping isn’t always graceful.
It doesn’t always look healthy, or linear, or even intentional.

Sometimes you cope by cleaning.
Sometimes you cope by crying.
Sometimes you cope by pretending you’re fine until you’re not.

And then you start again, which means you’re still doing the work.

Coping isn’t the absence of struggle; it’s proof that you’re still fighting to stay afloat.
Even when it’s messy. Even when it’s loud. Even when it’s something no one else would recognize as healing.

So if today’s version of coping is just getting through today —
that’s enough.
You’re enough.
And you’re doing better than you think.