What is coping?
Coping * is defined as the actions or thoughts used to manage environmental and internal demands which drain or exceed a person’s resources. Coping occurs in response to a stressful event and is a conscious process.
There are many ways to cope with the challenges and situations we face. No single coping strategy is effective for all situations, however, some strategies are more useful and positive than others. The resources on this website can help you develop your own ‘toolbox’ of positive and healthy coping strategies that you can use to manage difficulties effectively.
Coping with Stress
Did you know coping is related to but distinct from recovery and self-care strategies?
Recovery refers to the process of restoring physical and mental energy in order to balance off stress states.
Self-care strategies are the activities you engage in to promote recovery.
Coping is the process of seeking and applying solutions to situations or problems.
Going back to the analogy of stress filling our bucket, it is important that we pause and appreciate how much stress is in our lives, in other words “how full is our bucket,” and then reflect on what we are doing to “drain or release some of this stress.” We can do this by employing recovery strategies through engaging in self-care, as well as using positive coping strategies.
Coping strategies can be broken down into those that are more problem-focused and those that are more emotion-focused.
To learn more about the difference between each of these, watch this short video.
