Different Coping Mechanisms For Stress That You Must Try!

Each of us has different coping mechanisms with stress. Some people prefer to travel and see the world outside, while others opt to improve wellness and appearance. For instance, a person may opt to get services such as professional teeth whitening like POLA, or they could spend a day at the spa. Whatever your coping strategies may be, as long as it’s healthy, we hope that you live stress-free in most of your days.

What are Coping Mechanisms

Coping mechanisms, styles, or strategies are the methods that an individual uses to “escape” from stressful situations. It is our way to adjust or tolerate stress no matter how hard it may seem. We deal with stress not only to get out of stressful events but also to take care of our mental health.

According to psychologists, coping with stress typically occurs when there are significant changes in our lives that we’re not happy about. As we age, we learn several coping skills that come along with life experiences. Your coping style changes as well. For example, teenagers’ coping styles involved house parties and being with friends. Whereas, most older adults prefer to find a quiet place to spend some time alone.

The Need to Cope With Stress

It’s important to learn coping skills because of the changes in our lives. Besides, stressors come and go, and that constantly happens. Taking care of your emotional and psychological well-being does not necessarily equate to selfishness. This only means that you value yourself and that you want to live a happy life as much as possible.

If you have unhealthy responses to stress and you feel like this is slowly dragging you into depression, it would be wiser to seek medical advice from a professional. They will initially assess your symptoms and see if what coping methods would be more helpful.

3 Kinds of Coping Strategies

Generally, there are different coping styles, and most of them depend on an individual’s lifestyle. But all of these coping styles fall under three categories: calming coping techniques, emotion-focused solutions, and problem-solving strategy.

Calming coping mechanisms

The idea is to calm your physiology so you can control your stress response. When stressors are come in, especially when you least expect them, your physical and emotional responses will make you feel drained. Letting yourself in this situation could result in chronic stress.

One helpful tip is to try to calm yourself down. You can do this by going to the beach, driving at night, or taking a hot shower. It doesn’t matter what strategy you use, as long as it puts your heart back to its regular heartbeat.

Emotion-focused mechanisms

In this method, you divert and control your reaction to your stressors. Some of the coping responses under this strategy are retaining a sense of humor and laughter.

As you see, this stress coping technique does not focus on the adverse events or the stressors themselves but rather on the individual that perceives the stress. The person will try to maintain a happy vibe around him, much like concealing his true feelings.

People who use this technique cope by trying to stay positive. They are the ones who always manage to make other people happy. Some of the coping mechanisms they practice include:

• keeping a journal
• eating comfort food
• reduce stress through self-care

Problem-solving mechanisms

Not everyone is fond of facing negative emotions. Most people would prefer to gear to positive relaxation techniques rather than solve what causes their stress. Because after all, stress comes in our everyday lives no matter what we do.

However, some people prefer to manage stress by solving the problem. They take any opportunity they get to get themselves out of a stressful situation. While exercise and support groups may be useful for some, these people believe that facing the problem head-on is the most effective way to live happily.

This is usually the coping mechanism used in the workplace setting. Examples below:

• you deal with overloaded work demands by creating a schedule for each task
• if you’ve been harassed, you take the situation to the HR
• to deal with tardiness, you leave your house earlier than usual

Examples of Coping Strategies

You may opt to join support groups or yoga classes. Quite frankly, as long as your coping techniques are healthy, other people’s opinions about how you do things should not matter.

For your reference, here are some of the common coping strategies that most people use these days:

Social support. Talking to a loved one or a group who understands your situation can be a huge relief. This way, you will express your feelings and how things around you have affected your emotional health.

Muscle relaxation. This includes activities like massage therapy, yoga, and meditation. The goal is to promote physiological and psychological relaxation at the same time.

Alcohol intake. We do not recommend using this coping mechanism to escape stressors. But sometimes, a little bit of vodka can help you sleep in peace.

Physical activities. Some people fight off anxiety by working out. Surprisingly, it is also a great way to ignore your stressors.

Additional Tips!

1. travel
2. read a book
3. write a poem
4. find a new hobby
5. cook something
6. watch a movie
7. go out with friends
8. consider sports
9. set daily goals
10. improve your physical looks

Reference:

What Coping Strategies Can Help Manage Stress? (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-coping-strategies-are-effective-3144562)