Once you’re feeling burdened, you would possibly suppose you’ve bought your coping mechanisms down pat.
You do issues like keep busy to keep away from fascinated with your issues, or persuade your self that all the things’s wonderful even when it’s not, proper?
Properly, you is perhaps shocked. The belongings you suppose are serving to may really be hurting your psychological well being greater than you notice.
Buckle up, as a result of it’s time to problem a few of your long-held beliefs about coping with stress and nervousness.
1) Preserving your self busy
All of us do it. When issues get robust, we throw ourselves into work or hobbies to maintain our minds occupied.
It’s straightforward to persuade ourselves that we’re simply being productive, proper?
The factor is, whereas staying busy can really feel like a superb distraction, it’s typically only a approach of avoiding the true points at hand.
As an alternative of going through our emotions and dealing by means of them, we’re simply pushing them apart and hoping they’ll disappear.
And let me inform you, emotions are cussed.
They don’t simply go away as a result of we ignore them. As an alternative, they have a tendency to construct up over time, intensifying and turning into tougher to deal with.
Whereas conserving busy would possibly seem to be a superb coping mechanism on the floor, it’s really only a band-aid resolution that may find yourself inflicting extra hurt than good in the long term.
It’s time to face these feelings head-on, quite than attempting to outrun them with a packed schedule.
Belief me, your psychological well being will thanks for it.
2) Bottling up your feelings
Ah, the previous “bottle it up and neglect about it” method. I’ll admit it, I’ve been responsible of this one myself.
Just a few years in the past, I used to be coping with loads of stress at work.
As an alternative of addressing my emotions, I made a decision to simply ignore them. I satisfied myself that if I didn’t give it some thought, it wouldn’t have an effect on me.
However right here’s the factor: regardless that I used to be ignoring my feelings, they weren’t ignoring me.
They have been nonetheless there, effervescent underneath the floor and impacting my psychological well being in methods I didn’t even notice.
I began feeling extra drained than typical, continuously on edge, and located myself snapping at my family members over the smallest issues.
It wasn’t till a buddy identified how a lot I had modified that I spotted what was occurring.
Bottling up your feelings would possibly seem to be a simple solution to keep away from coping with one thing troublesome, however all it actually does is delay the inevitable.
In the end, these bottled-up emotions will come out—and sometimes in methods you don’t anticipate.
Consider me after I say that going through your feelings head-on is far more healthy than attempting to cover them away.
3) Utilizing meals as a consolation
We’ve all heard of consolation meals. That huge bowl of ice cream after a break-up or a plate of your favourite pasta after a tough day at work.
It’s a short lived aid, making us really feel higher within the second.
However do you know that utilizing meals as a coping mechanism can have severe implications in your psychological well being?
In keeping with analysis, emotional consuming can result in unhealthy weight achieve and even consuming issues.
And let’s not neglect the guilt and self-loathing that usually follows these moments of indulgence.
Turning to meals for consolation may appear innocent, nevertheless it’s actually simply one other approach of avoiding our emotions quite than coping with them.
As an alternative of discovering solace in that additional slice of cake, it’s more healthy to face our feelings instantly and discover different types of leisure and self-care that don’t contain energy.
4) Over-relying on constructive considering
Optimistic considering is nice, proper? It retains us hopeful and motivated. However there’s a degree the place it may well cross the road and really begin damaging our psychological well being.
After we drive ourselves to be constructive on a regular basis, we’re primarily ignoring our damaging feelings.
We’re denying ourselves the possibility to totally expertise our emotions and work by means of them.
This type of relentless positivity can create a type of emotional repression.
It’s like telling ourselves that it’s not okay to really feel unhappy, offended, or upset, when in actual fact, it’s completely regular.
Feelings aren’t good or unhealthy; they’re merely part of being human.
By permitting ourselves to really feel all our feelings, not simply the constructive ones, we’re taking a vital step in direction of higher psychological well being.
5) Ignoring your wants
I do know this one all too properly. I used to suppose that placing others earlier than myself was a advantage. I’d ignore my very own wants and emotions in favor of caring for everybody else.
Positive, it’s good to be there for the individuals you care about, however when it comes on the expense of your individual psychological well being, it’s not wholesome.
I’ve discovered that self-care isn’t egocentric. It’s okay to say no typically.
It’s okay to place your self first. And most significantly, it’s okay to care for your psychological well being.
Keep in mind, you’ll be able to’t pour from an empty cup.
Maintain your self, and also you’ll be higher geared up to assist others as properly.
6) Attempting to manage all the things
It’s pure to wish to have management over our lives. We prefer to plan, set up, and predict. However the actuality is, life is unpredictable. We are able to’t management all the things.
After we obsessively attempt to management each facet of our lives, we’re setting ourselves up for fixed disappointment and stress.
As a result of regardless of how a lot we plan or set up, issues will go off monitor typically.
Relatively than attempting to manage all the things, it’s more healthy to learn to adapt and modify.
Studying to let go and settle for issues as they’re can significantly cut back stress and enhance our psychological well being. It’s not straightforward, nevertheless it’s positively price it.
7) Isolating your self
After we’re coping with emotional ache, it’s pure to wish to draw back from others.
We’d persuade ourselves that we’re simply attempting to keep away from burdening others with our issues.
However isolation can really make issues worse. Human beings are social creatures and we thrive on connections with others.
By isolating ourselves, we’re denying ourselves the help and luxury that our family members can present.
And that may result in emotions of loneliness and despair.
It’s okay to wish individuals. It’s okay to lean on others whenever you’re struggling. You don’t must face your issues alone.
8) Not looking for skilled assist
Maybe one of the harmful coping mechanisms is avoiding skilled assist when it’s wanted.
There’s a typical false impression that looking for remedy or counseling is an indication of weak point, however that couldn’t be farther from the reality.
Reaching out for assist whenever you’re struggling isn’t an indication of weak point. It’s an indication of energy.
It reveals that you simply’re conscious of your struggles and that you simply’re prepared to take steps to beat them.
By no means hesitate to hunt skilled assist in case you want it.
Your psychological well being is necessary, and there are professionals on the market who can present the help and instruments you should cope in more healthy methods.
Embracing more healthy coping mechanisms
If you happen to’ve learn this far, you is perhaps reflecting by yourself coping mechanisms and questioning in the event that they’re really good in your psychological well being.
And that’s an amazing begin.
Self-awareness is step one in direction of adopting more healthy coping mechanisms.
It’s about realizing that whereas it might really feel good within the second to keep away from our emotions, in the long term, it’s way more useful to face them head-on.
It’s necessary to keep in mind that there’s no disgrace in feeling feelings, even the uncomfortable ones.
They’re a traditional a part of life they usually don’t outline you or your price.
As Carl Jung as soon as stated, “One doesn’t develop into enlightened by imagining figures of sunshine, however by making the darkness aware.”
Right here’s to embracing more healthy coping mechanisms and making our darkness aware. As a result of solely then can we actually start to heal.
