https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431619858420 Journal of Early Adolescence 1–28 © The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0272431619858420 journals.sagepub.com/home/jea Regular Paper Coping With the Stresses of Daily Life in England: A Qualitative Study of Self-Care Strategies and Social and Professional Support in Early Adolescence Emily Stapley 1,2 , Ola Demkowicz 3 , Mia Eisenstadt 1,2 , Miranda Wolpert 1,2 , and Jessica Deighton 1,2 Abstract The aim of our study was to examine early adolescents’ perspectives on and experiences of coping with the problems, difficult situations, and feelings that can arise in daily life in England. Our study draws on the first time point of semistructured interviews (N = 82) conducted with 9 to 12 year olds across six regions of England as part of HeadStart, a mental health and well- being program. Using thematic analysis, eight main themes were derived from the dataset relating to participants’ coping behavior: activities and strategies, disengaging from problems, standing up for yourself, acceptance of problems, social support, HeadStart support, other professional support, and hiding feelings or problems. The findings enhance our understanding of how early adolescents manage their problems outside of professional 1 Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK 2 University College London, UK 3 The University of Manchester, UK Corresponding Author: Emily Stapley, Evidence Based Practice Unit, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Jordan House, 47 Brunswick Place, London N1 6EB, UK. Email: emily.stapley@annafreud.org 858420JEA XX X 10.1177/0272431619858420Journal of Early AdolescenceStapley et al. research-article 2019