Post by Susan Peabody on May 9, 2024 14:41:33 GMT -8
Coping Mechanisms
Susan Peabody
Almost all Adult Children develop one or more coping mechanisms.
A coping mechanism is anything you do to distract yourself from unresolved emotional distress. You could be compensating for anxiety, depression, shame, loneliness, or PTSD.
How do you know when a coping mechanism becomes unhealthy? There comes a point when the activity or emotion takes over your life. You can’t do or feel differently. You cannot sleep or even relax. You engage in risky behavior. You become addicted to the coping mechanism.
All people with an addictive personality are vulnerable to a coping mechanism becoming a liability.
All people with a history of trauma are in danger of a coping mechanism, that helped them survive a difficult situation, becoming dangerous, or life-threating later on.
What do you do about this?
Tiffany Sauber Millacci, Ph.D.
Edited by Susan Peabody
What is the Meaning of Coping? It is the use of one or various types of mechanisms that are intended to reduce psychological stress.
These dynamic responses may be classified into effective/ ineffective or adaptive/ maladaptive strategies, which we discuss below in great detail.
Coping Styles
Much of the literature involving coping identifies two main coping styles: emotion-focused and problem-focused coping styles.
1. Emotion-Focused Coping Style
This coping style involves reducing the emotions associated with a stressor while avoiding addressing the problem.
In other words, the aim is to regulate one’s emotional distress by merely altering the emotional response, which may not address the actual stressor. Some assert that emotion-focused coping can be dangerous as it is affiliated with mental health problems through behavioral problems.
On the other hand, it may be beneficial to reduce the impact of stressors, which could be more beneficial in the long run for things we do not have the power to change.
If you can’t change the problem, change your outlook.
Example:
You receive a notification that they did not select you for the position to which you applied. You decide to take to your journal to reflect on the experience and how you can better prepare for a similar position in the future.
2. Problem-Focused Coping Style
In contrast to emotion-focused coping, Van den Brande et al. (2020) describe problem-focused coping as the “attempt to control work stressors by defining and interpreting them, planning solutions, and choosing a course of action.”
This method of coping is said to be the most effective way to tackle life’s problems; however, problem-focused coping is only effective if the individual has control over the outcome.
Example:
You have studied hard for a quiz using flashcards but received a poor score. You make a plan to study for the next exam using a different method, such as joining a class study group.
3. Meaning-Focused Coping Style:
This particular coping style employs thinking strategies to process and make sense of the meaning of a situation.
Example:
A driver in a hurry realizes that the car he is driving has a flat tire. He may reflect on the meaning of this misfortune and attribute the flat tire to karma or perhaps that he was willed by a higher power to slow down.
4. Social Coping (Support-Seeking)
When a person seeks emotional support from the community, they are engaging in a social coping or support-seeking coping style.
While young children may look for their parents for support, adolescents begin soliciting the support of their peers or themselves.
Example:
A young woman, amid a complicated divorce, seeks the advice of a close friend who had a similar experience and may offer compassion.
5. Avoidance-Focused Coping Style
This can be described as avoiding the stressor by pursuing an alternate person or task. Ir could also be demonstrated by seeking a distraction.
Example:
An employee has been unable to meet his work deadlines, and his supervisor has requested a meeting with him. The employee has not replied to the meeting invitations and has found an alternative route so that he no longer has to walk past his boss’s office.
24 Unhealthy & Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Unhealthy coping skills can be classified into maladaptive and adaptive strategies. Maladaptive coping strategies comprise behaviors that are avoidance-based and do not ultimately benefit the individual in the long run. Conversely, adaptive coping strategies are aligned with the stressor and aim to reduce emotional stress.
Unhealthy Coping
Unhealthy coping is a mechanism used to prevent stress; however, the results are deleterious to the individual.
The following coping mechanisms have been deemed ineffective and may exacerbate mental health problems.
1. Actively working and not in leisure time avoiding dealing with emotions. Constant busyness may hinder your ability to cope with a stressor and be seen as an avoidance coping mechanism. Failing to talk about emotions can be a dangerous coping strategy. Instead, individuals should replace the suppression with acceptance for more effective coping. Toxic positivity is the unhealthy tendency to only see the good side of something and the rejection or denial of stress. A positive outlook is usually beneficial; however, it can be dangerous if it prevents you from validating your emotions.
2. Any behavior that becomes addictive and is creating negative consequences.
3. Overthinking, as with over-analyzing, can cause catastrophic thinking. Studies suggest that rumination may predict symptoms such as depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorders following trauma
4. Isolation from friends and family can be a dangerous coping strategy. A little time to cool off or reflect is okay; however, isolation can be a risk factor for the development and regression of mental health symptoms. Venting may cause an excessive focus on the issue at hand. Further, ranting to the wrong person may cause additional issues and amplify the problem.
5. Substance abuse, such as alcohol or drugs, may be used to avoid a stressful situation negatively. The health consequences are destructive, and ultimately, the problem remains unsolved. Smoking is equally used to escape the tense situation; however, it is also a harmful practice. The problem remains unsolved as with each of the avoidance strategies.
6. Denial and behavioral disengagement prevent you from dealing with the stressor, which may have the potential to exacerbate the situation. This may also be called “brushing it under the rug.”
7. Impulsive spending is spending money without prior consideration and could also be referred to by some as retail therapy. However, if often repeated, this sudden urge to make purchases could be harmful not only to your pocket but to your underlying stressor.
8. Overeating is the practice of eating a large amount of food and more than the number of calories used in one day. To some, this can bring relief and comfort during a challenging time but there are poor health consequences. Contrary to overeating but just as disadvantageous, some individuals may under-eat, which is also used to regulate or reduce negative emotions associated with stress.
9. Self-harm is self-injurious behavior that is sometimes used for emotional regulation. Individuals who exercise self-harm report experiencing a release from negative emotions; however, this method is not effective in problem-solving, nor is it beneficial to one’s physical and mental health.
Recovery
Susan Peabody
Susan Peabody
▪ Cognitive reframing (changing how you look at something) is the positive appraisal of a stressful situation. This technique is especially valuable.
▪ Meditation and breathing techniques calm the mind, relax the body, and can change the amygdala. Often, taking a step back to take a breath and calm your physiological process help make a good decision.
▪ Journaling can be a therapeutic for individuals facing a challenge.
▪ Positive thinking and forgiveness are effective strategies to cope with one's emotions.
▪ Laughter is often said to be the best medicine. It can be an outlet for negative emotions and stimulate the physiological system that decreases levels of stress hormones. Further, humor eases tensions and improves moods.
▪ Determining an alternative solution is an effective method of handling dilemmas. This process involves the collection of complete information, planning, and coming up with effective decisions to deal with the challenge. This method may also be made possible by journaling.
▪ Finding the “good” in a bad situation, similar to positive thinking, can combat negative mental health. This method is particularly effective for those with strong religious beliefs.
▪ Eliciting the help of a counselor or therapist for cognitive behavioral therapy may be a helpful strategy. With advances in technology, counseling and therapy are even more readily available through instant messaging and video chats, which provide for anonymity and convenience.
▪ Engaging with a therapist is psychodynamics (deep process work). This is a process where in a therapeutic situation you discover what is buried in your unconscious; bring it to the conscious (surface) and process it.
▪ Talking with a trusted friend or colleague may be enough to ease your stress and build stronger connections. Confiding in someone not only allows you to express your emotions, which increases wellbeing, but it increases interpersonal intimacy which always feels good.
▪ Twelve-Step programs which offer peer support and "wounded healers."
▪ Spirituality (a shift in consciousness). This includes a personal relationship with God, as you understand God.
▪ Controlled distraction, or self-distraction, is an activity that is used to take your mind off a situation. These activities may include watching TV, listening to music, shopping, or just picturing yourself in a place you feel comfortable. For example, you may try picturing yourself in your happy place while nervously waiting to deliver a presentation. Of course, it is recommended that any distraction be in moderation.
▪ Exercise will provide you with an opportunity to walk away from a problem and re-focus, but the health benefits of exercise are countless. There is a link between regular physical activity, lower psychological distress, and overall positive neurobiological response.