So far in this workbook you have learned about your different feelings and different things that start and influence these feelings. Now, you are going to figure out what to do to manage your feelings. You will need some coping skills, or tools. Your tools may be different from the tools another person might use, and that is okay. Just as a gardener or plumber needs different tools, you will need different coping skills, or different tools, to fix your feelings than other people might need to fix theirs.
This section is filled with ideas for ways to cope with your feelings. As you learn and practice these ideas, you might want to think of them as tools for your personal “skills toolbox,” and it will be helpful to create your own reminders of what tools you like the most and why you like them.
What does this toolbox have to look like? It can look any way that you want. You can make note cards of your favorite skills so that you can practice them wherever you go. And guess what? That stack of note cards can be your toolbox!
There is no right or wrong way to start your skills toolbox. The point is just to make reminders of the tools you learn in this workbook as you learn them so that you can take them with you wherever you go.
At http://www.newharbinger.com/38594, section 7 includes four bonus activities you can download to help you make the most of your toolbox: “What Tools Do You Use for the Job?” “When Your Tools Are Not Working,” “Practicing with the Tools You Have,” and “It’s a RAP.”
Be creative and have fun!