educate
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Making the Grade
maskmatters.org
SPRING 2018
62
FROM PRE-K TO COLLEGE:
A GUIDE
TO COPING WITH STRESS
W
hen it comes to dealing with stress and
anxiety, does coping mean erasing the
negative emotions and replacing them with
positive ones? Does it mean to distract
from negative feelings by eating, going for a walk, or
taking a bath? It seems as though “coping skills” has
become a catchphrase that has lost its meaning.
“If you really think about it, coping means tolerating;
it means to face and deal with a situation and the
consequences,” says Dr. Shefali Gandhi, a licensed
psychologist in Scottsdale, Ariz. “If the fire alarm
MAKING THE GRADE
✪
{
DID YOU KNOW?
}
There are three types of stress: environmental, physical and psychological.
goes off at home, we don’t take a bath. We listen
to the cue and understand we have a situation that
needs attention. Our feelings are our body’s alarm
system—we need to pay attention to them and then
determine what steps need to be taken to deal with
the situation.”
Whether you have an elementary, junior high,
high school or college student, Dr. Gandhi offers an
age-appropriate guide on how to teach your child the
coping skills they’ll need in times of stress which can
help them make healthy life decisions.
