TME Tuesday: Coping Skills Song

I am currently working on a coping skills song - one that explains a bit about what that catch phrase has come to mean in therapy for folks who do not always understand these things.

I have finished the chorus, but the verses are taking a bit more of my time.

I want this song to explain something because my students seem to hate the phrase, "use your coping skills" and often escalate into bigger behaviors of concern when that phrase is used during the upward climb of the crisis cycle. I find that we do not explain what we mean with this phrase well enough for our clients to understand what we do when we need to find our patience with daily annoyances.

This has made me think about my personal coping skills and how I am frustrated quite a bit by work these days.

That is neither here nor there this morning, though. This is a day off, and I am going to focus on my "Next Step" plan today - well, that and the dishes that really need to be washed and the broken dishwasher. That is still not my topic for today...

So, this is a song that started with a need and grew from there.

I started with a vague idea and a guitar. My post-it notes and pencil were nearby. I started playing a chord progression - I, IV, V7 until words started forming in my head. Coping skills, coping skills. Everyone goes on and on about coping skills. Coping skills, coping skills, what exactly are they? I kept singing those phrases over and over again until they coalesced into a melody that I could repeat. Then, I wrote it on my post-it note.

Once an idea is on a post-it, it is portable and ready to be transcribed. I am still looking for a good sheet music creation app. I have several, but I am still learning their quirks and how to manage them. They don't always think the way I think, so it can be frustrating - enter coping skills! Transcription is easy. I always write music in the key of C - I tend to transpose all of my music, so it is easier to write music in C or a minor. When I sing things, though, I use all sorts of keys. This one will probably live in the key of A.

Now, I need some verses.

I want to explain that everyone uses coping skills during every day to manage emotions in healthy ways. I want to demonstrate ways to use coping skills in interactions with other people. I want to make sure that my clients understand that coping skills are not bad, they are just a tool to use to stay out of trouble. Actual coping skill strategies will have their own songs - eventually.