Wondering how to cope with a loss or a particular situation that you can’t control? Here we have discussed different aspects of coping skills to help you understand what the term means and how we practice it in our daily lives. Read further to learn more!
What are Coping Skills?
Coping skills are daily strategies to manage negative and positive external situations. They help you minimize, tolerate, and deal with stressful situations in life. Managing your stress well can help you feel better psychologically and physically. Also, it can impact your ability to perform your best.
Everyone has different techniques to cope with stress. Many people focus on their interests and hobbies, while others get comfort by exercising and spending time with their pets. These are a few examples of healthy coping skills- productive and positive ways to deal with stressful situations.
But some people opt for coping methods that are not positive. They rely on things like self-harm, substance abuse, or other self-destructive behaviors. These coping methods may temporarily relieve stress, but they lead to several issues in life, such as addiction. Learning healthy coping mechanisms is crucial to reduce the risk of causing harm and stress to yourself and others.
Types of Coping Skills
When it comes to positive coping skills, there are two types – passive and active. A maladaptive coping mechanism is another coping skill that causes negative behaviors, leading to mental health issues.
Active Coping Mechanism
This coping skill involves an awareness of the stressor that help to reduce the risk of a negative outcome. People use these skills to manage stressful and difficult situations. Some examples of active coping skills are:
- Taking action to resolve the problem or deal with the situation, such as going for a run.
- Problem-solving requires you to break down the stressor into smaller parts and find effective solutions.
- Relaxation strategies include techniques like mindfulness and deep breathing to reduce stress.
- Goal setting is to set realistic goals to reduce stress and achieve success.
Passive Coping Mechanisms
Passive coping mechanisms are skills you practice to manage complex feelings and thoughts. They involve distracting yourself or accepting the situation. Here are some common passive skills people practice:
- Journaling
- Reading
- Creating an art piece or craft
- Taking a hot bath
- Deep breathing
- Listening to music
- Going for a walk
Maladaptive Coping Mechanisms
These are behaviors that you use to difficult emotions or situations. People feel that they are helpful situations, but they can make it harder for you to solve the problem in the long term or manage feelings and thoughts. Some example of maladaptive coping skills are:
- Self-harming
- Using alcohol or taking drugs
- Avoiding a problem
- Eating unhealthy or excessive food for comfort
- Lashing out at people
How to Use Coping Mechanisms…
You can practice a few things to cope effectively with the situation. These include:
- Take care of yourself– Get plenty of sleep, eat healthily, and give yourself a break if stressed out.
- Take care of your body by meditating, stretching, and exercising
- Make some time to unwind
- Recognize when you need help and get help, especially if you are thinking of suicide or self-harm
- Avoid alcohol or drugs
- Maintain emotionally supportive relationships
- Try to change the source of stress
- Distance yourself from the reason for the stress.
Experts agree that coping mechanism is a process, not an event. You can choose the above coping strategies to cope with stress. People have different coping styles or prefer to use specific coping strategies. The differences in coping styles typically reflect the differences in personalities.
So, what can you do to protect yourself from stress? The most effective and promising strategy is to maintain a supportive relationship that is emotionally available for you. Experts believe that emotional support helps individuals deal with the negative impacts of stress. Also, evaluating your overall lifestyle is critical when choosing a coping skill to deal with stress. This way, you can quickly escape the situation and comfort yourself.
Final Thoughts
Coping skills are strategies that people can practice to deal with everyday stress or serious challenges in their life. While most practice these skills subconsciously, some of us have to develop them over time.
If you believe that you need to learn coping skills, you can get help. We can help you learn ways to cope with stressful situations. We provide you with tools suitable for your lifestyle and situation so you can live a healthy life. You can book an appointment online or call us at (949) 245-7442.