Coping Toolbox

Useful websites

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm

This website offers a number of simple lifestyle changes that will help you alleviate depressive symptoms. It provides self-help tips in order to better equip you with the tools needed to achieve these changes.  Some of the areas the website focuses on are: building supportive relationships, taking better care of yourself and your needs, regular exercise and how to get started, relaxation techniques, healthier eating habits, and ways to challenge negative thinking, etc.

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=37

This website is intended to provide you with some information on depression and suggested strategies for how you can manage your mood.  It is organized into modules for aiding you in managing your mood.  There are nine modules that are designed to take you through a step-by-step process to help you challenge ineffective thinking patterns and negative core beliefs about yourself.  By teaching you to monitor these thoughts and beliefs, the website aims to teach you more positive ways to problem-solve and deal with life’s situations.

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=46

This website is intended to provide you with some information about generalized anxiety disorder and suggested strategies for how you can manage your worry and anxiety.  It is organized into eleven modules that are designed to help you identify negative beliefs, challenge specific worries, accept uncertainty, and teach problem solving techniques.  It also offers tips on relaxation techniques that can be used to reduce and gain control of your anxiety.

http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=empower_toolbox

This website offers a selection of tools to aid you in managing depression, including a therapy worksheet, symptom checklist, trigger tracker, and a personal wellness checklist.  It also features the DBSA Wellness Tracker, which is an innovative, user-friendly online tool that allows you to keep track of both physical and emotional/mental symptoms.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043

This website focuses on how exercise can ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.  It explains the benefits of exercise, how much and what type of exercise is best (you would be surprised at how little can have positive benefits for your mood!), and realistic tips on how to get started and stay motivated.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm

This website goes over some relaxation techniques that can be used for stress relief.  Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga can all help you manage stress.  The website discusses what each of these techniques are and how to use them.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_self_help.htm

This website provides self-help strategies to combat excessive worry.  The tips are aimed at training your brain to stay calm and collected and to look at life from a more positive perspective.  These five tips for anxiety relief are: (1) accept uncertainty, (2) create a worry period, (3) challenge negative thoughts, (4) learn to relax, and (5) take care of yourself.  The website elaborates on the importance of each of these and how to incorporate the techniques into your daily lifestyle.

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9857&cn=353

This is a link to an online self-help book for people suffering from depression.  The book is a comprehensive and in-depth tool that can be used to learn self-help strategies for combating depressive symptoms.  Chapters of the book focus on issues such as changing behavior and thought patterns, changing your mood, and changing relationships.  There is also a chapter that focuses exclusively on creating your own self-help plan by setting specific goals and selecting specific methods.

http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/thinkpositively.html

This website gives tips on how to think positively. The tips include to accept that life can be difficult, to believe in yourself, to look for support, and more.  There is also a link to “think positively quotes.”

http://www.ehow.com/how_4893325_fight-depression.html

This website gives fourteen basic tips on how to fight depression, such as getting adequate sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, meditation, and more.

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=1205

This website describes relaxation techniques for relief of anxiety and stress.  The relaxation techniques described are practical ways to learn to manage stress on your own.    The website gives fourteen stress reduction strategies and takes you through the specifics of each.  The strategies are designed to teach you the following techniques: focusing and meditation, grounding techniques, exercises that help you to relax and release muscle tension, erasure techniques, healing the inner child, visualization, and affirmations.

http://www.moodgym.anu.edu.au

This website provides an intervention designed to prevent and treat depression.  The program is organized into five modules aimed at helping you identify and overcome problem emotions and thoughts.  The modules help you develop coping skills to deal, such as, how to identify negative thoughts, develop problem solving skills, and how to deal with life events.  The modules are designed to give you personalized feedback through quizzes and exercises that tell you about your mood and what your results mean.

http://www.bluepages.anu.edu.au

This website provides information about the management and treatment of depression based on the latest scientific evidence.  It also offers screening tests for depression and anxiety, a depression search engine, and links to other resources.  The website also provides a forum that connects you with other people who have experienced depression or are interested in learning about depression.

https://www.virtualclinic.org.au/

This website provides free treatment programs for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  The programs consist of online lessons, homework assignments for each lesson, additional resource documents, and access to an online discussion forum.  The additional resources provide information about symptoms that typically accompany depression and anxiety, such as, managing sleep problems and panic.

http://www.brave.psy.uq.edu.au

This website is specifically aimed at treating childhood anxiety.  It is organized into weekly modules for children and parents that help develop skills to manage anxiety, including relaxation strategies, problem solving, and empowerment.

https://www.kpchr.org/sadhelperdotnet/

This website provides skills training modules that focus on improving your mood. The program can be completed as self-help or through the help of a telephone coach. It also includes an online journal for you to record your thoughts and feelings, self-tests to help you monitor your mood, a crisis page, and information about depression.