Coping Healthy :)

my reach at spreading awareness about the importance of having a healthy coping mechanism

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tip- scroll all the way down for the first post so you can read in order! :)

[copinghealthy]

My coping mechanisms :)

I mainly use art and music to cope with difficult situations. I've been into art since the 5th grade and I also attended classes at one point and got fairly good at it. My favorite things to draw are portraits (and eyes. only eyes.) But when I need to unwind, I turn to painting. I love colors. There's so much a color can say and so much a color can do. I personally love blues and blacks and purples as I associate those colors with the sky (I'm a little bit of a sky-freak). I love how the water controls the paint. I love how you use different brushes for different details. I love the fluidity of painting- the motions, the gradients, the contrasts. My favorite things to paint are koi ponds and skin (although I haven't gotten really good at that yet). The whole experience of painting leaves me relaxed, happy and at peace.

When I don't have the motivation to paint, I unwind by listening to music. The music I listen to is very relative to my mood at the moment, but I usually like listening to lyrics I can resonate with. I love listening to music closely and listening to chords that I never heard in the song before. I love listening to a certain lyric and feeling like it stuck something in my heart. I love getting attached to a certain beautifully written lyric. I love trying to look up a reference my favorite artist used. I love trying to decipher a seemingly simple song. My favorite artists at the moment include Joji, The 1975, Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd.

Here's some of my art:

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Unhealthy coping mechanisms

Also known as maladaptive coping or non-coping. !! TW: mentions of self-harm, substance abuse !!

The word "maladaptive" literally means 'not adjusting adequately or appropriately to a situation'. A maladaptive coping mechanism, instead of improving a stressful situation, reduces the symptoms while maintaining disorder. They are very momentarily relieving and aren't proper long term coping mechanisms.

Examples of maladaptive behavior: anxious avoidance, escapism, dissociation, procrastination, self harm, substance abuse, risk-taking, unhealthy self-soothing, etc.

These behaviors, especially vices like drugs and alcohol are very easy to get addicted to as they provide false security in a situation that is hard to deal with.

Cycles of addiction are very hard to break out of and can end up being destructive and damaging to the person indulging in them as well as their loved ones and peers. This is why it's important to have a healthy coping mechanism. It's a choice we can make to divert our energy into something healthier, which will give us better results.

If you're facing problems with addiction, it's never too late to seek help. You're not alone.

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Q) How do I find a coping mechanism?

A few questions that people sent me included "How do I find a coping mechanism?" "Can I turn my coping mechanism into something productive? and "How do I find time for my coping mechanism as a busy student/professional?"

To answer these, I'd like to say that a coping mechanism should help you release stress, which is a lot of negative energy. We all have coping mechanisms and having one is very natural, but that dosen't mean that the mechanism we use is healthy. A coping mechanism should be something that you enjoy doing, something that acts as a release for all the negative energy and inside you. Though we cannot always choose what our coping mechanism is, if we can manage to divert all that energy into something we want to do, it can help us cope in a healthy way as well as translate into something productive.

For the question "How do I find time for my coping mechanism as a busy student/professional", I'd like to emphasize on the importance of taking a break. You're supposed to make time to cope just like you make time for anything else and taking a break from our busy lives really helps us make that time to understand ourselves better. Rest and rejuvenation can help us ensure our mental and emotional well being as we navigate through stressful situations in our lives, as well as recharge. So, take that nap. Take that day off. You deserve it. <3

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Types of Coping Mechanisms

There are so many ways coping mechanisms can be classified. In psychology, they are broken down into three main strategies based on the nature of the stressor- appraisal focused coping strategies, problem focused coping strategies and emotion focused coping strategies.

(a) Appraisal focused coping strategies This is when a person tries to change the way they think (for example they choose to be in denial) to help them adjust to and have a more positive outlook on their situation. People usually employ appraisal focused coping when there is no straightforward solution to your problem. When we deal with a situation, we usually tend to think we're responding to the situation as it is, but that's not true. We respond to our perception of the situation, which can be different from reality. Altering their perception of the situation can help people look at them differently and even identify the stressors.

(b) Problem focused coping strategies These are solution oriented approaches to dealing with a stressful situation. If the stressor is one that can be changed, the situation can be handled by eliminating the source of stress. These, in my opinion, are the simplest ways to make a situation better for yourself. If you can recognize that you're stressed because your days are hectic, make a schedule and see how that works out for you.

(c) Emotion focused coping strategies This focuses on dealing with the emotions that are stirred up as a consequence of a stressor. Unlike the other two, emotion focused coping looks to reduce the effects of the stressor rather than eliminate the stressor itself. People usually cope with these emotions by i) disclaiming (refusing to acknowledge) ii) escaping/avoiding the stressor iii) accepting responsibility or blame iv) exercising self control v) positive reappraisal of the stressor/situation. The main aim of this coping mechanism is to draw attention away from the stressor, which can be achieved through meditation, breathing exercises to reduce anxiety, pleasant activities like painting, embroidery, etc.

I know this may be a little hard to understand; I tried to make it as simple as possible but you cant run from technical terms, right? While reading up on this subject, I was absorbed in it completely and found it very interesting (and I also had a few epiphanies myself) and that's why I wanted to share it on here. :)

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What is a coping mechanism?

A coping mechanism is a strategy that people use in stressful situations to help them deal with painful or difficult emotions. They help people adjust to the stressful situations while ensuring their emotional well-being.

In simpler terms, a coping mechanism is an activity that helps you take your mind off stressful things.

A lot of activities can be coping mechanisms. Some as simple as taking a hot shower and reading a book, and others a little advanced, like yoga and breathing exercises.

Now what are healthy coping mechanisms? Healthy coping mechanisms are positive ways in which an individual copes. That 'positive' makes all the difference; it makes sure the situation dosen't spiral into anything worse. That would be defeating the purpose of a coping mechanism right?

A few examples of healthy coping mechanisms include working out, solving puzzles, listening to music, going for a walk, spending time with friends, etc.

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Introductory post!

Hi and welcome to my blog :)

 I’ve been in a fair share of situations- some good and some bad, and I know by experience that some people don’t even realize they’re coping unhealthily until someone points it out to them :(. 

And that’s why I wanted to speak about coping mechanisms for my Social Action Project. During these few years of lockdown, I had many mental health ups and downs. My family suffered losses of loved ones that took a toll on all of us mentally, and I’m sure many others around the world went through similar, if not worse, situations. Resilience is a very necessary quality to have, but how should we bounce back from these stressful situations if we cant cope with them healthily?

Along the course of this blog, I will be talking about the importance of having a healthy coping mechanism, answering a few questions that I picked up while I was doing my research for this project, as well as talking about my coping mechanism, art, and how it helps me cope.

I hope this blog ends up proving useful to somebody :)                                           sending love.