Coping and types of coping
Coping is investing in ones own conscious effort, to solve personal interpretation problems in order to try to master, minimize or tolerate stress and conflict.
Coping: the cliffnotes
Sometimes we find ourselves in a position where we have to decide how to react. Coping is not about what happened but how we handle what happens. As children, most of us are essentially taught to turn the other cheek. Some people find this easy to do while others react differently. There are many ways to positively cope. When immediately presented with a situation that makes you feel angry or upset some quick strategies are deep breathing, walking away, or count to 10. When faced with stress built up over time some ways to cope are to meditate, take a mental health day from work, dance, take a nap, organize your space, hit something, write out thoughts on paper, get some fresh air, cry, laugh, sing, listen to music, read, yell, and/or seek help from a licensed therapist or counselor. Laughter is especially good for coping, because laughing can reduce muscle tension and produce endorphins.
Coping: The specifics
As you can see there are endless ways to cope. Some may seem childish or like they would be ineffective. In this case one should continue to try different outlets until they find what works even if that means seeking therapy from a professional. There are different types of way to cope, read below and see if you can relate.
The first is appraisal-focused coping strategies. This coping strategy is for those carefree people. These individuals are able to modify the way they think, and brush things off. Some people do this by laughing or simply distancing themselves from the situation.
The second is adaptive behavioral coping strategies. These people use problem focused strategies to attempt to deal with the cause of the problem. This would mean first figuring out the problem at hand, then learning or figuring out how to manage the problem. This approach focuses on eliminating the initial problem.
The third strategy is called emotion-focused coping. This strategy deals with facing the problem by addressing and managing the emotions that elicit stress. This works by minimizing, reducing, and preventing emotional components of stressor. Ways to do is are to engage in activities like meditation, releasing pent up emotions, distract oneself, relaxing and any other mindful practices.
Lastly is Reactive and proactive coping. This coping strategy involves preparing oneself by anticipating and reacting to a future stressor. By anticipating the possibilities one is able to determine how to respond when the time comes. This person is probably very cool under pressure. Being able to adjust expectations can help eliminate stress.