A lot of times, we come across a bad day or a stressful time in our lives, and we all deal with that negativity differently. While there are many negative coping skills, I really want to focus on the positives because they will help a person out more for the long haul.
There are over 50 options of positive coping mechanisms out there, which means there is probably something for everybody. If you’re like me and you get stressed very easily from school or if you have a job, then there are certain diversions that can be useful for keeping your mind off of whatever is making you anxious. These diversions can range anywhere from painting to music to self care to taking a walk. These can be highly effective. A few others are watching television, cleaning, shopping, reading are traveling. When it comes to me, if I am having a rough day I like to listen to music or watch television because it makes me feel a lot better. My family likes to travel as well, and I know that when we do go on vacation I tend to forget all that is happening at home and focus on what is important to me.
Another form of coping mechanisms is social and interpersonal coping. This involves physically or emotionally talking with someone you trust or playing with a pet. Other forms of this might include writing a note to someone you care about, spending time with family or friends, and being assertive. This type of coping is a lot harder for people as a lot of us tend to struggle to discuss our emotions verbally. If you are someone who has trouble talking about what is going on, a different way to help is through cognitive coping. This could be making a gratitude list, which is something that is highly used by many people. You can write a list of goals, keep an inspirational quote with you, write a list of strengths, or even making a list of pros and cons when trying to decide something. These are ways that you can deal with emotional stress without having to physically speak. By simply writing a journal about how you feel and how you want to improve is something that works better than speaking for a lot of people.
The past coping mechanisms are mainly related to personal preference. For example, making a gratitude list might work for one person, but might not work for someone else. In contrast to this, there are many coping skills that everybody can benefit from. Some tension releasers that can work are exercising, crying, or even laughing. Sometimes all we need is a good cry or laugh to let everything we have been holding in out. One other category of positive coping skills is that of the physical ones. This can be getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and limiting caffeine intake.
I think it is important to use positive coping mechanisms, especially starting at a younger age so we can get into a good routine that will benefit us for our entire lives.
I really feel like these coping mechanisms should be broadcasted in schools and work areas. More people need to be aware of them and it could help them. Throughout life there are many curveballs and things can change so quickly. People can not just turn off their emotions and hold them in and still believe that everything will be okay. This holding in of emotions can cause depression and anxiety. It can also make depression and anxiety worse because people are not expressing their feelings. This is why therapy is good for many people because it gets them to talk about what they are feeling and recieve advice about how to deal with their feelings. I cope by playing sports, being with my mom and brother, but most of the time I cope alone. There is nothing wrong with it because it is what is best for me. I need to be alone with my thoughts and be in the right head space to think and process what has happened. Although to some people it may seem unhealthy, it works for me and has helped me process many struggling times in my life.
The coping mechanisms mentioned are very insightful and I learned a lot from your blog. I formed an opinion from reading your blog, which is I feel that more people need to know about these coping mechanisms. In schools, at work, or any other stressful environment, I believe that people need to be aware and educate themselves on how to cope with stressful situations. Myself I tend to meditate or exercise to help relieve my stress. But Im happy to know that there are other way out there to help cope with stress that I might need to try to see if it works better with me other than what I am doing right now.
This very helpful! Most of the time people who are suffering from anxiety or stress can’t focus on anything but that. The same thing happens to me. But you are right, focusing on the postives and finding your own personal way to cope can help. Everyone’s different and it may take time to find your own way to cope. This was a very good and helpful blog post. It helped me think about what to do, especially with finals coming up.
I think that coping mechanisms are very effective and it is different for everyone and should be used or shown especially if you are in school or an enviorment that has stress and pressure in it. There is so much stress and pressure in the world with so many different things whether its in work, school, or just hanging out with new friends. It may not be good though depending if there just holding everything in. Spending time with friends even though its a coping mechanism is also a way to talk.
I love that you took the time to write about this topic because I feel like it is extremely important especially now. I think more people should be aware that there are multiple ways to cope with stress and that one practice doesn’t work for everyone. Personally, I cope with stree by spending time with my friends and practice art. Eventhough, I am a horrible artist I love to draw and paint, it just clams me down significantly.
Although I don’t necessarily need help with managing stress this blog can be very helpful for other high school students especially around finals time. I thought it was cool that one way in which you could release stress is through social and interpersonal coping. This makes sense why theres “pet away stress” days with dogs in the learning commons and the alive center.
This is a really great blog. Especially with finals coming up just next week, students are really stressing out over the final projects and other requirements before we finish off the semester. I am definitely one that stresses out a lot, however most times when i let myself de-stress, i tend to procrastinate. I feel that many of the mechanisms that you listed would help me especially if it is keeping me busy and not just a way to pass the time with nothing being done.