Daily goal - Pinpoint your healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Every human being has some form of coping mechanism, whether it be good or bad, a way to cope with life, relationships, mental health issues, or age.
The question we need to ask is, whether our coping mechanisms are healthy or unhealthy to us.
I had a couple of terrible coping mechanisms during my life, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, self-mutilation, and adultery. I learned to obtain healthy coping mechanisms in my own way, this choice changed my life for the better, and I will never regret making the changes in my life.
Examples of healthy coping mechanisms include exercise, writing or drawing, taking a walk, or playing an instrument. Do you see the difference between what I used to use as a coping mechanism to the ones I used as examples here? There is a massive increase in health and mental health when we start using healthy coping mechanisms to get through our battles.
Each individual needs to figure out what their most positive coping mechanism is, as each human being experiences trauma and mental health difficulties differently. There isn't one mechanism that I can suggest to all due to the fact that we experience emotions differently.
Some would argue that people's avoidance isn't a healthy coping mechanism, yet for me, this is the only way I can deal with daily life.
There exist two types of coping mechanisms, 'problem-focused coping', and 'emotional-focused coping'. Each one with its own set of mechanisms.
Problem-focused coping is the action taken at the moment or after to cope with the situation, such as removing something or someone from your life for the betterment of your mental health
Emotional-focused coping such as mental relaxation or distraction. For example, to take a relaxing bath.
The one important aspect to remember when defining your coping mechanisms is that these mechanisms should not be created to always distract you from the problem, it's best to mostly use mechanisms to help relieve the distress.