Coping with Stress, 5 Coping Strategies.

    Stress is a topic that is of concern to many people daily. To cope with this stress, many different techniques can be employed, such as learning how to manage the mismatch between expectations and reality. As we all know, stress causes both physical and emotional distress. Naturally, human beings would want to reduce or eliminate this. However, this is not always possible. As we have seen, stress occurs when there is a mismatch between the demands of our environment and the resources we have available to cope with them. Coping strategies are made of actions that are taken by the person to deal with life challenges. People who experience daily struggles tend to use stress-coping strategies and desire to learn more to cope with stress better.

Different people come up with their methods of coping with a discrepancy between one's genetics and one's living habits. For example, if a person with a genetic predisposition to heart disease smokes and lives an unhealthy lifestyle and his doctor warns him about his high risk of cancer, he may see the issue as a threat. There may be a feeling of fear as a result of these dangers. For a healthy way to handle this, one should seek out information about quitting smoking. But some people will disregard the warning and give up their health to either God or chance. As a result, coping is a complex and delicate process. The individual must interact with the environment and actively try to change or respond to various challenges. Coping isn't just a single action that occurs in an instant.

Multiple definitions of coping have been provided by various researchers. As a part of the cognitive transactional theory of stress, Folkman has defined coping as all cognitive and behavioral efforts to cope with challenges and stressors that are either external or internal. Firstly, there is instrumental coping, which involves focusing on solutions to the cause of the threat, like problem-solving. The other way is called palliative coping, which involves reinterpreting the situation so that it feels less stressful, stressful, or anxious-inducing.

Styles of coping

Classifying these strategies into a larger framework hasn't been agreed upon. Distinctions between different kinds of strategies are sometimes made, for example, problem-focused as opposed to emotional-focused; engagement as opposed to disengagement; cognitive coping mechanisms, and behavioral coping mechanisms. For example, Daniel Weiten distinguishes four types of coping mechanisms.

Appraisal-Focused: (adaptive cognitive). In favor of examining personal assumptions.

With this strategy, the person uses thought modification to change the way they think about the problem. For example, they might pretend that the problem isn't as serious as it seems, or try to change their emotional state. People try to minimize the potential adverse effect of the issue on themselves. There is a risk that a person might look at the same problem differently after altering his or her goals and values, such as by realizing the lighter side of the situation. Some have posited that, in the minds of women, humor may play a greater role in moderating stress than it does for men.

 Problem-focused: Reducing or completely removing sources of stress.

Using problem-focused strategies, people attempt to resolve the cause of their problem by examining the root of the issue and learning how to effectively manage it. Problem-focused coping seeks to identify and fix the source of the stress. These are the three identified problem-focused coping strategies by Folkman and Lazarus searching for info, thinking critically, and weighing the pros and cons.

 Emotion-focused: It consists of changing your emotional reactions.

Changing the meaning of the stressor is the main focus of this coping mechanism, with examples such as finding a more positive meaning to the source of the stress, to reduce the stress's emotional components. By ignoring your emotions, you distract from the unpleasant feelings that come with your stressor associated with positive outcomes. Emotion-focused coping can be more beneficial for those with stressors that feel unavoidable, such as a terminal illness diagnosis or a death in the family. Short-term coping mechanisms like distancing or avoidance can have good outcomes but can be a bad idea if used for an extended period. Emotional Approach Coping is where emotional expression and processing are used effectively.

Gender and Coping

A lifetime of different statuses, social roles, and stereotypes often means that men and women face different kinds of stress. Therefore, women are more likely to try out more coping strategies, like seeking support or practicing positive self-talk. This may be because women tend to experience more distress, and distressed people employ a greater variety of coping strategies.

5 strategies to feel less stressed and even more creative.

1.     Regular exercise helps lower stress levels by producing endorphins and letting you have a break from the things that are making you anxious.

2.     Spending time with friends and family - Being with the people you love can help you unwind and redirect your energy.

3.     Get enough sleep - Getting enough sleep each night will help you be less stressed and increase your productivity throughout the day.

4.     Find time for yourself. Engaging in enjoyable hobbies like reading, listening to your favorite music, or having a bath can help you unwind and relieve tension.

5.     Practice mindfulness exercises – Mindfulness exercises can assist in keeping your thoughts in the present and allow you to take a break from thinking about the future.