Coping Part Deux :o))

In the spirit of not making my previous entry too long, I have broken additional information regarding coping into a separate entry.

 

I performed a little research to see if there are some more tools I want to put in my coping tool chest.  I hope you can find some tools you can use as well :o)

 

 

We are complex animals living complex lives in which we are not always able to cope with the difficulties that we face. As a result, we are subject to feelings of tension and stress, for example the cognitive dissonance and potential shame of doing something outside our values. To handle this discomfort we use various coping methods.

• Acting out: not coping - giving in to the pressure to misbehave.
• Aim inhibition: lowering sights to what seems more achievable.
• Attack: trying to beat down that which is threatening you.
• Avoidance: mentally or physically avoiding something that causes distress.
• Compartmentalization: separating conflicting thoughts into separated compartments.
• Compensation: making up for a weakness in one area by gain strength in another.
• Conversion: subconscious conversion of stress into physical symptoms.
• Denial: refusing to acknowledge that an event has occurred.
• Displacement: shifting of intended action to a safer target.
• Dissociation: separating oneself from parts of your life.
• Fantasy: escaping reality into a world of possibility.
• Idealization: playing up the good points and ignoring limitations of things desired.
• Identification: copying others to take on their characteristics.
• Intellectualization: avoidingemotion by focusing on facts and logic.
• Introjection: Bringing things from the outer world into the inner world.
• Passive aggression: avoiding refusal by passive avoidance.
• Projection: seeing your own unwanted feelings in other people.
• Rationalization: creating logical reasons for bad behavior.
• Reaction Formation: avoiding something by taking a polar opposite position.
• Regression: returning to a child state to avoid problems.
• Repression: subconsciously hiding uncomfortable thoughts.
• Somatization: psychological problems turned into physical symptoms.
• Sublimation: channeling psychic energy into acceptable activities.
• Suppression: consciously holding back unwanted urges.
• Symbolization: turning unwanted thoughts into metaphoric symbols.
• Trivializing: Making small what is really something big.
• Undoing: actions that psychologically 'undo' wrongdoings for the wrongdoer.

 

The Discovery Health website (http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/coping_short_access.html) has a quiz you can take to see for yourself how you rate yourself for coping with stress.

 

From the University of Iowa (http://www.uiowa.edu/~ucs/copstress.html), RECOMMENDED READINGS:

• Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff New York, NY: Hyperion, 1997. Carlson, R.
• The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 1988. Davis, M., Eshelman, E., & McCay, M.

Tags: Coping, Stress