Positive & negative coping mechanism examples

We, humans, tend to do shortsighted things and not so good for us in the long run, so it's easy to end up in a vicious circle.

Here are some scientifically proven rights and wrongs when coping with stress.

When we are in stressful situations we are not in a place where we can explore, read up or choose between a wide range of behaviors. A shortlist may come in handy when an impulse to do something that might be bad for us comes up so that we know what to do instead. Et voilá, here it is.

And remember that we tend to do the not-so-good-for-us-things for a reason: they are often reinforced in the short run. A feeling of doing the right thing, a tiny decrease in anxiety, hope that it will make us more productive, a short actual rise in the feeling of control, or something else.

The list of actions that can be helpful in the long run often requires a larger effort here and now – which is why our brains prefer not to do them. So when we're in a process of trying to change behaviors, every progress – no matter how tiny– is an important step. And every time we repeat an old habit is an opportunity to learn and maybe create the possibility of catching ourselves earlier in the process next time.

As real persons, we never experience something the same way as others. We have our own history, our own set of genes, our own experiences, fears, and joys. But on a general level, we are still very much alike. Our bodies and brains evolved in the same way from the same ancestors. At the same time diversity between humans is one of the key features that made us so successful in conquering this planet. So, when you read the list above, everything may not apply to you because science operates on group-level associations.