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What Are Coping Mechanisms?
What Are Coping Mechanisms?
Coping mechanisms are the strategies people use to manage stress, anxiety or trauma and handle negative emotions. Coping mechanisms can help people manage stressful situations and look after their emotional wellbeing.
Most commonly, coping mechanisms are developed for conditions such as anxiety disorders or for panic attacks. However, coping mechanisms are beneficial for all sorts of conditions.
Coping Mechanisms vs Defence mechanisms
Coping Mechanisms vs Defence mechanisms
Coping and defence mechanisms share a lot of similarities and can often be confused for one another. However, there are some key differences between the two:
Defence mechanisms occur on a subconscious level (you are unaware they are happening) whereas coping mechanisms are a conscious action (you choose to do them)
Coping mechanisms are used to help manage an outside citation whereas defence mechanisms are typically used to help against internal difficulties
Types of Coping Mechanisms
Types of Coping Mechanisms
Some of the most commonly used coping mechanisms include:
Creativity: Being creative can be a great way to manage difficult or stressful emotions and situations. Whether it is through painting, or through dance and music, expressing your self creatively can really help
Support: Discussing stressful events with a trusted person can be effective in managing stress. It is better to seek external support than to self isolate
Relaxation: There are a wide range of relaxation coping mechanisms that are great for managing stress. Relaxing activities can include taking a bath, practising self care or listening to music.
Problem-Solving: Problem solving involves looking at the problem, understanding why it is a problem and coming up with potential solutions.
Physical Activity: Exercise can be a natural form of stress release due to the chemicals exercising provides.
Harmful Coping Mechanisms
Harmful Coping Mechanisms
Coping mechanisms can also be harmful and cause problems for a person. Examples of these include:
Escapism: When a person socially isolates themselves in order to cope with their emotions
Unhealthy Self Soothing: Most self soothing behaviours are healthy and can help a person cope, however, when taken to the extremes, soothing behaviours can become addictions such as binge eating
Numbing: Numbing behaviours are activities a person carries out in order to forget about or ‘numb’ the feelings they are struggling to manage. This can include the use of alcohol or drugs
Risk Taking: Stress can cause some people to seek out adrenaline through risk taking behaviours such as gambling or reckless driving
Self Harm: To cope with difficult emotions, sometimes people turn to self harm to manage these feelings
If you feel like you are struggling with anything you have read or any other aspect of mental health, then there are services out there that can help. If you need to talk to someone you can sign up here for our peer coaching service.
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