#52 - Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

How often, when met face to face with challenges, we fall victim to some unhealthy habits to cope? We are over here waving hands like CRAY because like you, we have all been there. In this episode, we dive into not only what it means to "cope" but also what NOT to do when faced with what may seem like insurmountable challenges (or annoying ones, really).

[1:38] What does it mean to "cope". We define a little bit what coping means and the different strategies that we may employ when we are faced with challenging situations. These strategies include:

• Task-oriented [3:10]
• Emotion-oriented [5:01]
• Avoidance-oriented [7:17 ]

[8:21] Which one are we. Out of the strategies listed we dive into the strategy that best fits our personal way of coping...surprise surprise, we have a little all three.

[10:47] What NOT to do. We have all been there where we employed coping mechanisms that were no bueno for us. Some of these mechanisms are rooted in our upbringing which we talk a little a bit about. Though not a complete list, some of these unhealthy coping mechanism include:

• Maladaptive Behavior [11:00]
• Engaging in Consumer Culture, aka "Retail Therapy" [11:47]
• Stuck in the rumination hamster wheel [14:02]
• Being in denial [15:09]
• Engaging in addictive behaviors [16:00]
• Distracting yourself with social diversions [17:00]

[21:41] Coping Takeaways. How can we stop ourselves from diving into these unhealthy coping mechanisms? We provide the following:

• Begin to be self-aware & having discernment [21:41]
• Sitting in the ache [22:29]
• Reframing the problem and narrative being told [23:18]
• Understanding the desired outcome and response [25:00]

Books/Resources Mentioned:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Resources:

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Baklava,

Nat & Nina