How do you know if your coping skills are actually helping you in life or holding you back?

There are different kinds of coping skills or strategies. For example, some focus on emotions, some on problems, some help us to disconnect from stressful circumstances, and others are basically social or religious support systems.

And these things aren’t bad, I mean, they might actually help you to get you through a crisis or two… but are they a good long-term strategy? Well, not if they don’t address the problem!

While they might help us to feel better in the short run, masking our real feelings and emotions does little to empower us to understand what’s happening (and why) in the long run.

Think about it. Counting to ten, taking a walk in a park, stopping a moment to pray, and even cleaning or organizing a messy room may help us avoid lashing out in anger or breaking down in tears. But if that’s all we’re doing, then we’re not actually dealing with the underlying cause.

On today’s episode, I sit down with Brian as he asks the question, “Why can’t I just cope?” An honest question, especially when so many people are feeling triggered and traumatized.

Coping is like wearing designer eyeglasses, instead of getting the corrective surgery you need.

It may feel cool or attract some attention, but if it doesn’t actually fix the problem, then it’ll keep manifesting and get worse over time, leading you to use other coping skills or even vices.

Hope you enjoy this important episode!

Grace and peace,
Chris