Healthy vs Unhealthy Coping Strategies
Life is full of challenges and with those challenges come emotions that we may think are really unpleasant to feel. So, sometimes we avoid them all together. But I want to encourage you to allow those emotions to be processed through your body and eventually they won’t seem as challenging to deal with.
Coping strategies are techniques or methods people use to manage stress, emotions, and challenging situations. Below are some healthy and unhealthy strategies. Notice that the unhealthy strategies are meant to numb or avoid feeling. The goal is to allow the emotions in your body and not resist feeling them.
I have a few clients who describe their method of dealing with life like a drawer that they shove all their emotions into. When the “drawer” starts to overflow, they have a meltdown. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
When we are able to process our emotions as they come up for us, they don’t pile on and build up, creating overwhelm.
Here are some ideas for healthy coping strategies and see if you use any of the unhealthy coping strategies. We all do! Which one is your favorite? Try to replace it with a healthy one that will help you process the emotion instead.
Healthy Coping Strategies
Exercise: Physical activity helps reduce stress hormones and triggers the release of endorphins, which improve mood and overall well-being. Even walking outside for 10-15 minutes can really help.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing exercises can help reduce anxiety and improve emotional regulation.
Healthy Eating: A balanced diet supports both physical and mental health, providing the nutrients necessary for optimal brain function.
Social Support: Spending time with friends and family, or participating in support groups, provides emotional comfort and can reduce feelings of isolation.
Hobbies and Interests: Engaging in activities that you enjoy can be a great distraction from stress and provide a sense of accomplishment.
Professional Help: Seeking therapy, counseling, or coaching can be very effective for managing stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. (I’d love to help you!)
Journaling: Writing about thoughts and feelings can help process emotions and gain better perspective.
Sleep: Sleep is one of the most vital activities for emotional and physical health.
Time Management: Organizing and prioritizing tasks can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Take a look at what is on your plate. Can you remove, replace, or delegate anything on there?
Unhealthy Coping Strategies
Substance Abuse: Using drugs or alcohol to cope with stress can lead to addiction and make mental and physical health worse.
Overeating or Undereating: Using food as a way to deal with emotions can lead to eating disorders and other health issues.
Avoidance: Ignoring or avoiding problems can lead to increased stress and more significant issues in the long run.
Self-Harm: Engaging in self-harming behaviors as a way to deal with emotional pain is dangerous and indicates a need for professional help.
Aggression: Taking out stress and frustration on others through anger or violence hurts relationships and can lead to legal and social problems.
Procrastination: Delaying important tasks can increase stress and negatively impact performance and self-esteem.
Excessive Technology Use: Overuse of social media, video games, or television can lead to social isolation and interfere with daily responsibilities and makes you feel sluggish and lazy.
Risky Behaviors: Engaging in dangerous activities as a way to cope can result in physical harm and legal issues.
Pornography: Using pornography to avoid dealing with stress or emotional issues can prevent the development of healthier coping mechanisms.
Overall, the goal should be to develop a set of healthy coping strategies and increase your awareness of the potential negative impacts of any coping mechanism. It is common to hear people refer to unhealthy coping mechanisms as “buffering”, which is doing something pleasurable to avoid feelings that are less pleasurable.
The first step to reduce the amount of buffering that you do is to recognize that you are doing it. For example, I have noticed that I will have the urge to pull out my phone when I am in a group of people that I don’t know or when I am having a tough conversation that I don’t want to have. Playing games on my phone is how I buffer to avoid those emotions.
What do you do to buffer?