When life gets tough, what do you do to deal with all the challenges and stress? Do you jog, draw, shout, eat, or hide? These are all different coping strategies that you can use to better manage life’s stresses. People develop different coping strategies over time; some are healthy and conductive, whereas others are unhealthy and destructive. Constructive coping strategies can serve as a powerful technique to adapt to different obstacles, whereas destructive coping strategies may have an overall negative impact on your behavioural, mental and physical health (Navigating Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions: Replacing Unhealthy Coping Strategies With Healthy Ones Through Therapy, 2024). It is very important to develop positive stress management practices because it may be essential to maintain your overall well-being (Saxena, 2023).

Healthy coping strategies
Healthy coping strategies can be described as any instrumental approach to stress management that is seen as positive or adaptive (Jonason et al., 2020). These strategies rely on realistic assessments of stressors and available coping resources, and the use thereof is generally associated with better health and well-being outcomes. Some healthy coping strategies include (Frye, 2019):

– Mindfulness practices, like yoga or meditation
– Healthy eating habits which consist of eating adequately, consistently, and from a wide range of food groups
– Participating in social activities and outside obligations
– Having a good sleep schedule and practicing good sleep hygiene
– Engaging in self-care
– Exercising
– Journalling
– Practicing gratitude
– Incorporating positive experiences into your life

Unhealthy coping strategies
Unhealthy coping strategies are mostly used to suppress underlying issues, which only provides a temporary relief without tending to the root causes. By avoiding dealing with and address the causes, you stop yourself from finding sustainable solutions and can prolong the cycle of distress (Charlie Health Editorial Team, 2023). Some unhealthy coping strategies that may be used but should rather be avoided include (Schaffner, 2024):

– Isolation and avoidance of responsibilities
– Disordered eating, like restricting food intake or binge eating
– Self-harm
– Denial
– Aggression
– Procrastination or overworking
– Excessive screen time
– Substance abuse
– Negative self-talk

Types of coping strategies

There are various types of coping strategies as well. There are four main strategies that people make use of majority of the time. The first is emotion-based coping, which usually appears in the form of talk therapy, narrative therapy or art therapy where you can express yourself in different ways, like journalling, yoga, meditation, deep breathing and mindfulness. The second is problem-based coping. This type of coping helps you gain a sense of control and self-confidence, and become more productive. You can engage in researching topics, creating a to-do list, asking for support, changing situations in their control, and prioritising.

The third type of coping is social coping. This is a form of coping where supportive people in your life provide emotional and instrumental guidance, which helps you discover a sense of belonging, create opportunities for learning and growth, broaden your perspective, and gain new insights into experiences. This in turn leads to improved resilience and your overall well-being. Social coping examples include talking to a trusted friend or family member, participating in a support group, or seeking professional assistance. The fourth and final type of coping is avoidance coping. It is aimed at avoiding and suppressing the sources of stress rather than confronting them, which can take the form of denial, substance abuse, procrastination, and distraction (Saxena, 2023).

How to develop healthy coping strategies
Let’s look at some ways that can help us develop positive and healthy coping strategies. Getting into a healthy routine of practicing good and conductive coping strategies will help to form a more regular pattern in which coping strategies we use. We can also take the time to discuss different healthy coping strategy options with friends and family to get a second opinion and to see things from a different perspective. After exploring some new and different options, we can add them to our arsenal of tricks and treats to take care of our well-being. This said, we need to prioritise the different healthy strategies we can use to ensure the best options are used to take care of our mental health and well-being. Experiment with different strategies and techniques to find which ones work the best for you and record any improvements that can be seen or felt when implementing these strategies. If all else fails and nothing you found really works, maybe it might be a sign to seek professional help, just for that extra bit of guidance and support (Saxena, 2023).

Mental and behavioural conditions associated with problematic coping
There are many negative effects paired with negative coping strategies. Some of the behavioural conditions include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders. Most negative coping strategies used that influence different behavioural conditions include substance abuse, avoidance behaviours, self-harm and disordered eating. Over time negative and harmful actions become ingrained. Negative strategies can lead to more severe symptoms, which in turn leads to a dangerous cycle that can prolong your condition and severely worsen your quality of life (Navigating Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions: Replacing Unhealthy Coping Strategies With Healthy Ones Through Therapy, 2024).

As you can see, it is quite important to develop and make use of healthy and conductive coping strategies. It assists in gaining a better understanding of the individual, exploring an individual’s emotions, thoughts and behaviours, and integrating more effective self-management tools (Navigating Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions: Replacing Unhealthy Coping Strategies With Healthy Ones Through Therapy, 2024). Next time, when you are really stressed and thinking about grabbing a slab of chocolate and finishing off the whole thing, rather look at something that is more long-term and healthier, like mindfulness practices, spending time with loved ones or even going for a jog, even if it does sound very cliché. Take some time to think what would work best for you so that you can utilise your tools to take care of your mental health and well-being as best as possible!

Author: Mignon Jordaan

References
American Psychological Association. (2018, April 19). APA Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://dictionary.apa.org/constructive-coping
Charlie Health Editorial Team. (2023, November 16). What are unhealthy coping mechanisms? Charlie Health. https://www.charliehealth.com/what-are-unhealthy-coping-mechanisms/#:~:text=Unhealthy%20coping%20skills%20tend%20to,consequences%20of%20your%20coping%20mechanisms.
Frye, D. (2019, March 18). 7 Healthy, Non-Destructive Ways to Cope With Stress. Psychology Today. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/prescriptions-life/201903/7-healthy-non-destructive-ways-cope-stress

Jonason, P. K., Talbot, D., Cunningham, M. L., & Chonody, J. (2020). Higher-order coping strategies: Who uses them and what outcomes are linked to them. Personality and Individual Differences, 155, 109755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109755
Navigating mental and behavioral health conditions: replacing unhealthy coping strategies with healthy ones through therapy. (2024, July 22). https://www.thrivehere.com/navigating-mental-and-behavioral-health-conditions-replacing-unhealthy-coping-strategies-with-healthy-ones-through-therapy#:~:text=Constructive%20coping%20mechanisms%20can%20be,%2C%20breath%2Dwork%2C%20and%20movement

Pulla, V. (2013). Coping and Resilience: People’s innovative solutions. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 1(1). https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/77f69ddb506faf30c4304797035e14c6faf8690703577819dde1e2f951d78e43/235800/OA_Pulla_2013_Coping_and_resilience_peoples_innovative_soulutions.pdf
Saxena, S. (2023, October 31). Coping Mechanisms: Definition, Examples, & Why They’re Important. Choosing Therapy. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://www.choosingtherapy.com/coping-mechanisms/

Schaffner, A. K., PhD. (2024, August 5). 10 Most common unhealthy coping Mechanisms: A list. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/unhealthy-coping-mechanisms/