Stress and Its Coping Mechanisms

“Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations.”

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854), “The Village”.

Coping mechanisms are the strategies people use to manage painful or difficult emotions in the face of stress or trauma. These strategies can help them adapt to stressful events while assisting them in maintaining emotional well-being.

What Are Coping Mechanisms?

Significant life events, whether positive or negative, can cause psychological stress. Difficult events such as divorce, miscarriage, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job can cause emotions like sadness or anxiety in most of us. But even events that many consider positive—getting married, having a baby, and buying a house—can lead to significant amounts of stress. To adapt to this stress, we may use a specific combination of behaviour, thinking and emotions depending on the situation. People may use such strategies to manage stress, anger, loneliness, anxiety or depression.

How Do Coping and Defence Mechanisms Differ?

Some may confuse defence mechanisms with coping strategies. Although these two concepts share some similarities, they are different.

Defence mechanisms mainly occur unconsciously, and people are generally unaware they are using them.¹ On the other hand, coping strategies are usually conscious and purposeful.

Coping strategies are used to manage an external situation that creates problems for the individual. Defence mechanisms can change a person’s internal psychological state and support their stability.

Styles And Mechanisms for Coping

Coping styles can be problem-focused—also called instrumental—or emotion-focused. Problem-focused coping strategies are usually coupled with problem-solving methods to reduce stress and painful emotions. At the same time, emotion-focused mechanisms can help manage and change feelings of distress that result from the problem.² Furthermore, different coping strategies can be broadly categorized as active or avoidant. Active strategies typically involve awareness of the stressor and conscious attempts to reduce stress.

On the other hand, avoidance strategies are characterized by ignoring or otherwise avoiding the problem. Some coping methods, even if they work for a while, are not effective in the long term. These ineffective approaches, which are often counterproductive or carry unintended negative consequences, are known as “maladaptive coping.”² Adaptive coping strategies are generally considered healthy and effective ways of coping with stressful situations.

Types Of Coping Mechanisms

Commonly used adaptive coping strategies include:

• Support: Attending therapy or discussing a stressful event with a supportive person can effectively manage stress. Seeking external support instead of isolating yourself and internalizing the effects of stress is a positive step that can significantly reduce the harmful effects of a problematic situation and help you feel hope.
  
• Relaxation: Any number of relaxation activities can build resilience and your ability to cope with stress. Relaxation activities may include practising meditation, slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or other calming techniques, sitting in nature, or listening to soft music.
  
• Problem Solving: Involves identifying the problem causing the stress and then developing and implementing potential solutions to deal with or change it effectively.
  
• Humour: Making light of a stressful situation can help maintain perspective and prevent the problem from becoming overwhelming.
  
• Physical activity: Exercise can be a natural and healthy stress relief. Running, yoga, swimming, walking, dancing, team sports, and many other types of physical activity can support health and assist in coping with stress and the aftermath of traumatic experiences.

A short list of common maladaptive coping mechanisms includes:

• Escape: Some people may withdraw from friends and become socially isolated to cope with anxiety or stress. What makes this a maladaptive pattern is the function rather than the activity: watching television, reading or spending time online are ordinary and often restorative, and they become part of the problem when they are used mainly to stay away from people.
  
• Unhealthy self-soothing: Some self-soothing behaviours are harmless in moderation and become a problem when they escalate, crowd out other ways of settling, and carry on despite consequences the person would rather avoid. Overeating and heavy drinking carry direct physical risk. Long stretches online or gaming carry a different kind of cost: they matter when they displace sleep, contact with other people and things the person has to do, rather than because the activity is harmful in itself.
  
• Numbing: Some self-soothing behaviours can become emotion-numbing behaviours. When a person engages in a numbing behaviour, they are often aware of what they are doing and may seek out an activity to help drown or overcome their anxiety. People may try to feel better and relieve stress by eating junk food, drinking too much alcohol, or using drugs.
  
• Compulsions and risk-taking: Stress can cause some people to seek adrenaline through compulsive or risky behaviours such as gambling, drug experimenting, stealing or reckless driving.
  
• Self-injury: People may engage in self-injurious behaviour to cope with extreme stress or trauma. It is usually an attempt to get relief from feelings that have become unbearable, rather than a bid for attention, and the relief tends to be brief, which is part of why it repeats. It is more often kept private than spoken about. A person who is hurting themselves, or thinking about it, can be helped, and a therapist is a reasonable place to start; if things feel urgent, the crisis lines listed for countries around the world are there for exactly that.

Coping Strategies and Mental Health

Effective coping skills can protect and improve a person’s mental and emotional well-being. People who can adapt to stressful or traumatic situations (and the lasting impact these incidents can have) through effective coping strategies may be less likely to experience emotions like anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems as a result of painful or challenging experiences. People who fall into maladaptive patterns, and who struggle to find strategies that work, may find their well-being suffers over time. Those who have difficulty coping with anxiety, stress, or anger may become accustomed to relying on maladaptive behaviours. Alcohol may dull stress in the moment, which is part of why the habit forms. Relying on it, or on any other substance, to get through stressful situations can build dependence over time.

- Mufina, MHP, M.Psych., D.M.H.,

Psychologist, Mental Health Counsellor,

Chennai, TN, India.

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References

1. [1] Bailey R, Pico J. (2023). Defense Mechanisms. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559106/
2. [2] Algorani EB, Gupta V. (2023). Coping Mechanisms. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559031/