Life isn’t easy and not everybody knows how to deal with the ups and downs of it, while some of us may have the courage and intelligence to make lemonade out of the lemons it throws at us but the rest of us are completely clueless about it and end up craving for oranges instead. Well, this is exactly what our brain does when it finds itself in a difficult/ stressful situation, it runs away from it tries to find solace by practicing different activities.
WHAT IS A COPING MECHANISM?
Past experiences, anxiety, depression, loneliness, heartbreak are some of the situations and emotions that often make our minds go numb and thus, we resort to strategies that aid us in feeling better. It is in the darkest time that our mind resorts to techniques that physically and psychologically helps us in striving for better as we deal with an emotional baggage. These techniques are what we put under the umbrella of coping mechanism.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE COPING MECHANISM:
There are positive coping mechanisms which are constructive, beneficial and useful in producing a good outcome like practicing self-love and self-leadership or listening to your finely curated playlists. Whereas, negative coping mechanisms if employed are harmful, unhealthy and damaging. They provide immediate relief to short term problems causing great damage in the long run.
We all are familiar with the infamous character of Kabir Singh, a successful surgeon turned into a compulsive alcoholic because of the loss of the love of his life (read: obsession). Well, alcohol is just one among many toxic ways a person might try to repress emotions and endure pain. Smoking, avoiding problems, sleeping for long hours or eating your feelings are some other very negative practices people have started adopting.
The one that strikes the most is self harm. People have started believing that inflicting physical pain on the body helps in battling the inner distress. This however is completely untrue as mental unrest can only be solved by taking care of your brain and nothing else. Another coping mechanism that is emerging lately is usage of self deprecating humour to suppress the real emotions. Most commonly practiced by the Gen Zs, it is still very unhealthy for our brain to portray itself negatively and in a manner that is degrading.
The human mind is complex to deal with but if treated with love and care it is one of the most beautiful creations of god. So, the next time you observe yourself going bad just remember what better options are available to you and trust yourself the most.
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