COPING SKILLS
HELLO EVERYONE!
I am Dr Tara Logan Buckley
Dr & Director of Clinical Psychology
B.A. (Hons), H.Dip.Pscych, M.A., D.Clin.Psych
7.04.2021
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BACKGROUND
3
A little about me
My road to Psychology
Experience to date
Morals
Values
Beliefs
Approach
WHAT ARE COPING SKILLS?
• We ALL have and use them
• Efforts that we make to solve problems
• Thoughts and behaviours used to manage stress
• Coping strategies are the tools that we use to manage our emotions
• Coping skills help you tolerate, minimize, and deal with stressful situations in life.
• Managing your stress well can help you feel better physically and psychologically and it can impact your ability to perform your best.
• Not all are equal – healthy and unhealthy ones
“PROBLEMS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM; COPING IS THE PROBLEM.”Virginia Satir
Author & Psychotherapist
WHY DO WE NEED COPING
SKILLS? TO PUT SIMPLY -
LIFE
Coping usually involves adjusting to or tolerating negativeevents or realities while you try to keep your emotions intact.
Coping occurs in the context of life changes that areperceived to be stressful. Psychological stress is usuallyassociated with negative life changes, such as losing a job orloved one. However, all changes require some sort ofadaptation. Even positive changes — such as gettingmarried or having a child — can be stressful.
Changes are stressful because changes require us to adjustand to adapt. Coping involves adjusting to unusual demands,or stressors. This requires giving a greater effort and usinggreater energy than what's needed in the daily routines oflife.
Stressors: Physical, Behavioural, Emotional,Cognitive and Relationships
WHAT CAN HAPPEN?
Stressors or life events that require coping may be acute, like movingto a new home or experiencing the onset of marriage problems.Stressors also occur that are of longer duration, such as chronic pain,chronic illness or long-lasting financial problems.
In some cases, physical symptoms may develop or get worse when aperson's capacity to adapt to change is overwhelmed by too muchchange.
The effect of many acute stressors that come within a relatively briefperiod of time may be cumulative and profound. Those whoexperience a marital separation, the death of an aging parent anda change in job within a brief period of time may struggle tomaintain their physical and emotional health.
Prolonged coping (negative) efforts can contribute to elevatedlevels of stress-related hormones (cortisol) and to eventual physicalbreakdown and illness. Experiencing too many changes within a brieftime period often creates the idea that we aren't in control of events.This perception contributes to low self-esteem and may evencontribute to the development of anxiety or depression.
Results =addiction, OCD, burnout, self-criticism, hopelessness, physicalpain, psychosomatic
COPING
Reaction to stressful experiences&
Consequence of coping resources
HOW AND WHERE WE LEARN OUR COPING SKILLS FROM
In early childhood:
Self soothing – sucking thumb
Regulation – looking away/Avoiding
Mild/moderate stress, positive coping models,
scaffolding
Adaptive
Overwhelming stress,
maltreatment, invalidating
interactions with caregivers
Maladaptive
HOW AND WHERE WE LEARN OUR COPING SKILLS
Secure attachment • Adaptive coping
Insecure attachment • Maladaptive coping
NEUROPLASTICITY
Stressor
Prolonged exposure
(inescapable & uncontrollable)
Maladaptive Inflexible
Successful interaction
Adaptive
MALADAPTIVE COPING STRATEGIES
Maladaptive coping strategies are not only unhelpful, they negatively impact our mental wellbeing. Such behaviour prevents us from engaging in stressful
situations – mentally, physically, or emotionally – and can lead to social isolation and other diffciulties
Wasting time can be annoying; we are often delaying the inevitable. But when magnified, such behaviour,
known as maladaptive coping, can be harmful. We avoid situations, events, and people, damaging our
development, restricting our growth, and failing to meet our psychological needs.
Rather than writing the email, we empty the dishwasher, check the news on our phone, or stare at our screensaver,
daydreaming.
We are all experts in avoidance to some degree; we put off tasks and get out of situations that risk being
stressful.
ORIGINS FOR MALADAPTIVE COPING
Maladaptive strategies can arise from a disruption to the typical coping development
sequence in response to (Wadsworth, 2015):
Overwhelming stress – conflict within the family, financial hardship, death of a loved
one, etc.
Poor treatment – growing up in a violent environment or not
being given love and parental support, etc.
Emotional invalidation – being told your emotions are not
reasonable, rational, or valid, etc.
Research shows that children placed in such situations are less likely to develop coping
skills involving managing emotions and solving
problems.
In response to stressful situations or not experiencing
adaptive behavior, older children and adolescents may
continue with less mature coping strategies such as avoidance and denial.
While maladaptive coping strategies can develop in childhood, they can alsoappear later in life in response to life events such as loneliness, abuse, andtrauma.
EXAMPLES OF MALADAPTIVE COPING▪ Substance abuse
▪ Emotional numbing
▪ Escape
▪ Intrusive thoughts
▪ Daydreaming
▪Procrastination/ Rumination
EXAMPLES OF MALADAPTIVE COPING
▪Self-harm and Binge Eating
▪Blaming and self-blaming
▪Behavioural disengagement
▪Risk-taking behaviour
▪Sensitization
▪Safety behaviour
▪Anxious avoidance
OUTCOMES
WHILE MALADAPTIVE COPING STRATEGIES DIFFER IN BOTH THEIR USAGE AND INTENSITY, THEY CAN APPEAR SUCCESSFUL IN THE SHORT TERM, APPEARING TO REMOV E UNWANTED FEELINGS. BUT OVER TIME, POOR COPING TACTICS CAN CAUSE ONGOING PROBLEMS INCLUDING:
Reinforcement of fear of particular situations
Avoiding family and friends to reduce the
chance of being put in situations you don’t want
to be in
Limited use of social skills, leading to a failure to
develop or practice skills needed for interaction
with others
Lowered educational and professional
achievement due to avoiding interpersonal
relationships and putting yourself forward
Avoiding difficult conversations, leading to problems being assertive and taking control when
needed
Deteriorating physical and mental health – adopting unhealthy strategies and behaviours will ultimately damage both mind and
body.
ADAPTIVE COPING
Adaptive coping includes cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage stressful
conditions or associated emotional distress. Like social resources, adaptive coping operates as a
protective factor that decreases the adverse effects of life stressors when they occur and that
can also reduce the likelihood of stressor occurrence.
Adaptive coping strategies generally involve confronting problems directly, making reasonably realistic appraisals of problems, recognising and
changing unhealthy emotional reactions, and trying to prevent adverse effects on the body.
EXAMPLES OF ADAPTIVE COPING YOU ALREADY HAVE ADAPTIVE COPING SKILLS, THESE JUST NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED
Active Coping – solving problems, looking forappropriate support, planning, and reframing
Accommodative – adjusting expectations andpreferences to suit the situation and reducestress (e.g., forgiveness and compromise)
Emotional – regulating emotional responses tostress and difficult situations
Behavioural – using behaviour to manage stress(e.g., going for a walk, taking a deep breath, ortalking to a friend)
Cognitive – mental activities that help managestress (e.g., thinking about the bigger picture,pleasant images, or the potential benefits of thesituation)
EXAMPLES OF ADAPTIVE COPING YOU ALREADY HAVE ADAPTIVE COPING SKILLS,THESE JUST NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED Confronting problems
Realistic appraisals
Seeking emotional & practical support – Social coping
Exercise
Acceptance
Religion/ Spirituality
Relaxation Techniques
Sleep
Diet
Humor
Reactive and proactive coping
WHAT COPING SKILLS DO YOU
USE?
PROBLEM-BASED ‘V’ EMOTIONAL BASED
When you’re feeling distressed, ask yourself, “Do I needto change my situation or do I need to find a way tobetter cope with the situation?”
COPING STRATEGIES
Targets stressor
Constructive
Active
Examples: Work on time management, create
a to do list, work on boundaries
Problem-Based
Problem-based coping is helpful when you need to change your situation, perhaps byremoving a stressful thing from your life. For example, if you’re in an unhealthyrelationship, your anxiety and sadness might be best resolved by ending the relationship(as opposed to soothing your emotions).
COPING STRATEGIES
Targets Emotional Distress
Enduring Stressor
Passive
Examples: Mediate, positive appraisal,
talking to someone. Learning emotional coping skills
Emotion-Based
Emotion-based coping is helpful when you need to take care of your feelings when you either don’t want to change your situation or when circumstances are out of your control. For example, if you are grieving the loss of a loved one, it’d be important to take care of your feelings in a healthy way (since you can’t change the circumstance).
EXAMPLE: PERFORMANCE REVIEWYOU OPEN YOUR EMAIL TO FIND YOUR ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW. THE REVIEW STATES THAT YOU ARE BELOW AVERAGE IN SEVERAL AREAS AND YOU’RE SU RPRISED BY THIS BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE PERFORMING WELL. YOU FEEL A NXIOUS AND FRUSTRATED.
PROBLEM- BASED
You go to the boss and talkabout what you can do toimprove your performance. Youdevelop a clear plan that willhelp you do better and you startto feel more confident aboutyour ability to succeed.
EMOTIONAL BASED
You spend your lunch break reading abook to distract yourself fromcatastrophic predictions that you’regoing to be fired and become homeless.After work, you exercise and clean thehouse as a way to help you feel betterso you can think about the situationmore clearly.
There isn’t always one best way to proceed. Instead, it’s up to you to decide which type of coping skill is likely to work best for you in your particular circumstance.
BREAKING MALADAPTIVE COPING
Cognitive restructuring
Replace negative thoughts with more healthy, positive ones that reduce the impact of real or imagined events.
Distraction
When a difficult situation presents itself, it is possible to distract oneself from negative urges through music, breathing techniques, writing down thoughts, meditation, etc.
Such techniques can have a calming effect while redirecting attention away from the stressor.
Openness
Research by Barbara Fredrickson (2010) found that approaching challenges in an open way leads to improved handling of stress, finding novel solutions to existing problems, and an increased ability to cope
Thought stopping
Interrupting or breaking the cycle of negative thoughts as they arise can help stop panic from spiralling and the domino effect of negative thoughts.
Self-compassion
Self-compassion releases oxytocin, a feel-good neurotransmitter that reduces distress, increases feelings of safety, and helps us form new connections.
Coping statements
I’m going to face this challenge and handle it as best as I can.
So, it may not work out 100%, but I will give it my best and see what happens.
I’ve been in this situation before and survived.
RESOURCESSEEK SUPPORT - IT ’S OKAY IF WE CAN’T DO IT ALONE. FLOWERS NEED HELP FROM THE SUN AND RAIN TO GROW, WE NEED HELP AT TIMES TOO. ENGAGE IN T HERAPY, TAKE A COURSE , TALK TO SOMEONE, READ.
Coping worksheets – available online
Talk Therapy – ACT, CBT, CFT
Online workshops on coping skills
Yoga
Mindfulness apps, courses or workshops
Reading
Gratitude Journaling
Stresscontrol.ie – Free service due to Covid
6 Minute Diary
APPS
Headspace
Calm
Breathe work
Insight timer
Mindshift
Meditopia
Happyfeed – gratitude journaling
Shine
Colorfy
Reflectly
GPS for the Soul
Finding Optimism
BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry by Catherine M. Pittman and Elizabeth M Karle, Mlis
The Compassionate Mind by Prof Paul Gilbert
The Compassionate Mind Workbook by Chris Irons and Elaine Beaumont.
The CBT Anxiety Solution Workbook by Matthew McKay, Michelle Skeen and Patrick Fanning.
The CBT Workbook : Use CBT to Change Your Life by Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald
The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety 2nd Ed by John Forsyth and Georg Eifert.
Mindfulness : A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
Coping Skills : Tools & Techniques for Every Stressful Situation by Faith G Harper
Atomic Habits : An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear