Do you often experience insomnia? Do you feel exhausted, have an irregular schedule and lack of appetite? All these signs clearly indicate stress. So how can you prevent depression and cope with stress? What is stress, how do you deal with it, and what is the best strategy for you?
Coping with stress
Stress is a state of emotional, physical and mental strain caused by challenging circumstances that an individual finds difficult to cope with. Because stress has an overwhelming effect and can lead to depression, our minds have developed the so-called "coping strategies".
Coping strategies differ from defense mechanisms in that they are purposefully applied by the individual to overcome difficulties, whereas defense mechanisms work on a subconscious level, hiding or distorting the problem without leading to a solution. In order to help people in coping with stress, the SORE questionnaire was developed, which includes 13 different coping strategies, which we will examine in detail.
Positive Perception and Personal Growth
Under conditions of stress, a person tries to see the situation in a positive light, looking for opportunities for self-improvement and achieving an emotional hight.
Mental withdrawal from the problem
Especially developed in creative people, the desire to escape from the problem by fantasizing, distraction by playing games, drawing, singing and other activities.
Concentration on one's emotions
People who choose to focus on negative emotions and unpleasant words addressed to them begin to shut themselves down. This strategy does not help to overcome stress, but rather exacerbates the problem.
Search for social support
The situation causing stress motivates a person to seek advice or help from their friends and relatives, trying to find the most appropriate solution from all the proposed ones.
Active coping
Stressful tension pushes a person to engage in more aggressive and assertive behaviors aimed at solving problems directly.
Denial
The inability to cope with stress often leads to a refusal to recognize the reality of the situation, to deny what has happened or what is to come.
Turning to faith
In a difficult situation, when stress is at its peak, a person may turn to religion for support, seeking answers and comfort in faith.
Behavioral problem avoidance
Concentrating all efforts and emotions on dealing with stress, abandoning one's goals and objectives.
Self-control
The ability to manage one's actions and emotions, conserving energy for the optimal moment without wasting it.
Seeking emotional support
Seeking emotional, moral support and understanding not only from your loved ones, but also from the strangers, for example, while talking to people in a line.
Acceptance
Accepting a stressful situation as a given, the ability to calmly deal with crisis circumstances.
Planning
Developing strategies and improving skills to avoid similar stressful situations in the future, planning next steps.
Suppression of competing behaviors
Ignoring the stressful situation and seeking solutions, distracted by other activities, lack of motivation to act.
Take the stress coping questionnaire
If you feel that you are unable to cope with stress, feel emotional and physical fatigue from constant tension, you are interested in coping strategies and their diversity, do not put off taking the test for later and take it now!
