What are your coping strategies? By Nathalie Savell, LCPC

 

Do you have some good ones? 
If you're like a lot of my clients, you ebb and flow with implementing the healthy coping mechanisms you know about vs. falling into the traps of some of the unhealthy ones. 

As if a pandemic weren't enough tumultuousness, let's not forget that until very recently, we've also been at the mercy and whim of a fascist dictatorship, bringing out the worst in a very large group of people and wielding his power in such a dangerous way. The political activities that have happened are such extreme violation at so many levels, it's no wonder people are either disconnecting or feeling these events in a very personal way. Talk about a recipe for stress and resorting to our ways of dealing with things when they get hard. 

In come our friends - healthy coping skills! *cue the corny music* We need them right now! While it can be easy in light of things- with winter time and isolation- to turn to unhealthy coping skills such as over-eating, over-scrolling, over-drinking, over-sitting, over-working, over-caretaking... I can't stress enough the importance of things like movement, reading for pleasure, creative pursuits, funny shows and movies, journaling, meditation.

You probably have some ideas about things that help you feel good. If you're out of the habit, what's one of those things that you can bring into your day to nurture and support yourself?

I know it's not about feeling good all the time, and that's probably not possible. However, you can take care of yourself amidst the challenging feelings and experiences as an expression of love for yourself and a way to build your resilience so you can better manage those challenges and not let them get the best of you. After all, what use are you if you're left depleted, undernourished, exhausted? I'm sure that not only makes things worse, but also makes it harder to show up the way you need to for whatever responsibilities you currently have. 

Have I convinced you yet? Sometimes it does require pushing ourselves to do those healthy things, and I want to encourage you to find the support, accountability or whatever you need to make those things happen.