Emotion Focused Coping

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Coping is defined as efforts that help people manage or reduce stress. There are a couple of coping mechanisms. One is problem-focused coping, which involves behaviors or actions targeted toward solving or handling the stress-inducing problem itself. The second is emotion-focused coping, on the other hand, involves cognitive, or thought-related, strategies that minimize the emotional effects of stress-inducing events (Levy p.329-330). Some ways to use problem-focused coping are: time management, ask for support, or change your situation. In time management, your time is organized and allotted to different tasks in a realistic way that can be followed. However, time management will not work if you try to cram more tasks into your day …show more content…
That us start with meditation, it can help you to separate yourself from your thoughts as you react to stress, so you can stand back and choose a response rather than react out of panic or fear. Meditation also allows you to relax your body, which can reverse your stress response as well. Those who practice meditation in an ongoing way tend to be less reactive to stress, too, so meditation is well worth the effort it takes to practice. You can also use reframing, as known as cognitive reframing, allows you to shift the way you see a problem, which can make the difference between whether you feel stressed by facing it. Reframing techniques are not about ‘tricking yourself out of being stressed,’ or pretending your stressors do not exist; reframing is more about seeing solutions, benefits, and new perspectives. Then, there is positive thinking, being an optimist involves specific ways of perceiving problems--ways that maximize your power in a situation, and keep you in touch with your options. Both things can reduce your experience of stress, and help you to feel empowered in situations that might otherwise overwhelm you