My collection of various coping techniques.
What works is going to be different for everyone. Intended as a personal reference/source of inspiration.
Feel free to go ahead and build your own coping toolbox!
Slowly close eyes. Keep them closed for a moment before slowly opening them again. Repeat several times.
This should have a calming effect.
Thirsty? Hungry? Sleepy? Been sitting still for long?
Address whichever of these apply.
A huge misconception is that you must focus on your breath to meditate.
You can focus on the feeling of your body against a chair, the wind on your skin, a point you move from your fingers up your arm. The important thing is to return to your focus when your mind wanders. Repeat.
Getting active can sometimes be an outlet for negative emotion. Go for a walk or a run, swim, dance, etc.
Smell something with an enjoyable scent, eat something with a nice taste, touch an object with a pleasant texture, etc.
Write down activities to do to during the day. Plan with times or plan in the form of a to-do list.
Actual title: You Can Do All Things (author: Kate Allan)
The book has chapters for different types of negative emotions, containing illustrations of encouraging sparkly animals. The end of each chapter suggests a few very simple actions to try.
Do something that will take up as much focus as possible, be that reading a story, playing a demanding game, listening to a podcast, etc.