Coping Strategies
Have you ever asked yourself if you really are handling stress the correct, most efficient way? If you find that your coping strategy doesn’t work, you may want to try something different to manage the stress in your life. Coping or stress is not something new to mankind. Although coping or stress is not the words used in The Bible, it is a concept that shows stress is something all humans face. Proverbs 17:22 states: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” It’s clear that stress and the way we handle life’s obstacles is something we, as humans, have been dealing with since our beginning. We all have to deal with stress in our lives, whether it’s daily stress of long-term projects or coping with a traumatic experience. However, we don’t all hand stress in the same way. Although there have been hundreds of coping strategies that researchers have uncovered, this article will give you information of three coping strategies leading psychologists have found prominent in the United States: avoidant coping, emotion-focused coping, and problem-oriented coping.
By all means, this website is not comprehensive in all coping mechanisms. Everyone has their own method of coping with stress, but these are the three identified by leading psychologists in coping research. In many instances, individuals use a variety of these coping strategies and are not limited or exclusive to one method. Characteristics of avoidant, emotion-focused, and problem-oriented coping also overlap in that methods used in the three may have similar features. For example, you may find that your current occupation as stressful and use problem-oriented coping to find out why you’re attributing stress with your work. In return, you may use emotion-focused coping to reassess your life goals and end up switching your career path. Coping with stress in not one dimensional and shouldn’t be done alone when facing extreme stress. Hopefully this website has helped you identify which coping strategy you use and gave you some techniques you may want to try next time you deal with stress in your life.
We suggest you to take the Brief COPE Questionnaire to see what coping strategy you use and to read up on techniques you may have not considered trying in your life.
Please remember that this website shouldn't replace a therapist's advice. This site is just a collection of information to help you identify which strategy you use and inform you of other mechanisms you may have not used before.
By all means, this website is not comprehensive in all coping mechanisms. Everyone has their own method of coping with stress, but these are the three identified by leading psychologists in coping research. In many instances, individuals use a variety of these coping strategies and are not limited or exclusive to one method. Characteristics of avoidant, emotion-focused, and problem-oriented coping also overlap in that methods used in the three may have similar features. For example, you may find that your current occupation as stressful and use problem-oriented coping to find out why you’re attributing stress with your work. In return, you may use emotion-focused coping to reassess your life goals and end up switching your career path. Coping with stress in not one dimensional and shouldn’t be done alone when facing extreme stress. Hopefully this website has helped you identify which coping strategy you use and gave you some techniques you may want to try next time you deal with stress in your life.
We suggest you to take the Brief COPE Questionnaire to see what coping strategy you use and to read up on techniques you may have not considered trying in your life.
Please remember that this website shouldn't replace a therapist's advice. This site is just a collection of information to help you identify which strategy you use and inform you of other mechanisms you may have not used before.