Life can get stressful and you will likely have to deal with disappointments, setbacks, failures, loss, and trauma. You may turn toward self-medication as a way of coping with depression, but this can simply exacerbate problems. Developing a healthy coping mechanism can be essential for living a happy, healthy life. The person-centered therapy program at Gulf Breeze Recovery can help you find ways of coping with depression and more. Reach out to us online or call 833.551.2304 today to learn more.
The Importance of Learning How To Cope
Coping involves adjusting to or tolerating the negative realities of one’s life, while at the same time keeping a positive self-image and balancing emotions. Psychological stress from negative changes in life, like losing a job or the death of a family member or friend, can dramatically impact your life, tilting your equilibrium, and throwing you off track in potentially harmful ways. All changes, both good and bad, require adaptation because stress can be found in all events and situations. For example, getting married is generally a happy occasion but the mental, physical, financial, and emotional stress requires a healthy coping mechanism to get through the event in a healthy manner.
Changes to our routine and life require us to adjust and adapt, and too many changes within a brief time period can make us believe that we aren’t in control. Coping with depression and low self-esteem may then be necessary as the anxiety of this feeling of a loss of control can be paralyzing. In some cases, physical illnesses may appear when you are overwhelmed by too much change, too fast.
Developing a healthy coping mechanism involves adjusting to the unusual demands and stressors of life without the need for harmful or illicit substances.
Developing a Healthy Coping Mechanism
Everyone will eventually face difficult situations, and find effective ways for dealing with and bouncing back from those challenges.
Coping mechanisms are a vital part of human behavior. They are both necessary for successfully navigating a life, and essential for your emotional wellbeing. Not all coping mechanisms are productive, however, as some individuals turn to alcohol or drugs as a way of getting through the difficult parts of their day. Coping with depression, however, demands a healthy coping mechanism, not the temporary relief of substances that can dig a deeper and more dangerous hole for a person struggling with a mental health disorder. Gulf Breeze Recovery therapy programs focus on the whole person, and offers therapies that can help develop a healthy coping mechanism, allowing you to leave the world of self-medication behind for good.
Common Coping Mechanisms
Some of the more common healthy coping mechanisms include:
- Lowering expectations
- Asking and relying on others for help
- View the problem through a religious perspective
- Maintaining emotionally supportive relationships
- Distance yourself from the source of your stress
It’s important to remember that coping is a process, not a singular event. You may alternate between more than one healthy coping mechanism while coping with depression.
Other Ways to Cope with Stress and Mental Health Disorders
It’s important to not only be treated as a whole, complex individual with valuable knowledge, experiences, and traits, but also to spend time evaluating your lifestyle. Some stress-reducing activities can help your overall approach to coping with depression, including:
- Getting enough quality sleep
- Eating a well-balanced diet
- Exercising on a regular basis
- Meditating and yoga
- Taking vacations
- Healthy hobbies and activities
- Avoiding caffeine and alcohol
Learn More at Gulf Breeze Recovery
Learn how coping with depression at Gulf Breeze Recovery can be the best choice as you look to no longer rely on self-medication to ease your emotional, mental, or physical pain. Contact us using our secure online form or call us confidentially at 833.551.2304 today and start to develop a healthy coping mechanism that works within your everyday life.