Exercise – My Ability to Cope with Trauma

Posted on December 4, 2015 | by Angela

Exercise: My Ability to Cope with Trauma

_______ I like to be with people

_______ I am open to new experiences

_______ I do what I say I will do

_______ I am an agreeable person

_______ I believe my power lies within me

_______ I am confident in my own ability to cope with situations

_______ I try to find meaning in what happened to me

_______ I try to break down bad situations into manageable parts I can handle

_______ I am motivated to solve the problems that occur in my life

_______ I am generally an optimistic person – I can see more positive than negative

_______ I take control in situations whenever possible, or I try to take control

_______ I like a good challenge and I rise to the occasion

_______ I am committed to overcoming the bad things I have experienced

_______ I have a good social support network and there are people I can talk to

_______ I understand my life’s circumstances are what I can and cannot do about them

_______ I have a sense of humor

_______ I have a sense of hope

_______ I like to try new things or look at things in new ways

_______ I am open to how other people feel

_______ I am an action-oriented person, I would rather do something than have it done for me

_______ I try to make plans and structure my own life

What do you notice about yourself when reading the statements you checked?

______________________________________________________________________________

How many items did you check? ___________________________________________________

Did you notice a pattern between those you did check and those you didn’t check?

______________________________________________________________________________

Tell me a bit more about your strengths and skills that have helped you get to this point:

______________________________________________________________________________