COPING MECHANISMS

Did you know that burying your head in the sand and pretending like your problems are inexistent or taking deep breaths in a highly provocative situation are coping mechanisms?

Coping is a psychological process designed to manage stress or emotions. 

When we are faced with challenging situations also known as stressors, how we respond to them; the various methods we employ to fix them is called “coping mechanisms” or “coping styles”. These styles become a behavioral pattern over time which determines a person’s response to stress and they can be healthy or unhealthy.

HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS

Healthy coping is meant ease the stress off when used. Healthy coping is beneficial to our psychological health in the long-run in that, it helps individuals build resilience, develop healthier ways to manage stress and challenging situations and troubleshoot problems.

Examples of Healthy Coping Mechanisms include: seeking the help of a professional, relaxation, emotional support from loved ones, reframing of cognitive conditioning, mindful meditation, engaging in physical exercises, journaling, adopting problem-solving skills, etc. 

Unhealthy coping is maladaptive. That is, the strategies hinder growth, skyrockets distress and increase the problems. Employing the strategies will result in negative outcomes.

Examples of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms include: suicidal thoughts, social withdrawal, denial, behavioral disengagement, finding solace in heavy drinking, drug use, negative self-talk, aggression, etc. 

How Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms can affect an individual

Unhealthy coping mechanisms offer temporary relief or distraction from the prevalent issues. They do not address the root causes and can lead to negative consequences in the long-run. 

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms can lead to:
Addiction and substance abuse
Poor health
Low self-esteem
Physical harm 
Binge eating
Disassociation from self or people
Aggression
Procrastination
Negative self-talk
Excessive screen-time etc. 

How to convert from Unhealthy to Healthy Coping Mechanisms

To be free from unhealthy coping mechanisms, we need to make intentional changes, be self-aware and disciplined. If it’s a case of being addictive to a maladaptive, professional help must be sought. In the Coping Skills Inventory compiled by Anna Katharina Schaffner, six (6) coping strategies that can be applied in challenging situations are highlighted with information on how and when to use them. 

Healthy coping mechanisms can be learnt. We can turn unpleasant situations around and prevent them from aggravating if we intentionally employ healthy strategies. 

We can begin a journey of wholesome living and learning ways we can better respond to unpleasant situations. We don’t have to remain captives to our consequential habits.

Hope you learnt something new from this article.