Coping With Stress The Right Way
https://ideas.ted.com/coping-strategies-stress-anxiety-negative-positive-ways-to-cope/
This article appeared on “ideas.ted.com” and was posted on September 7th, 2021. The author is Wendy Suzuki PhD and wrote the article about how people deal with stress and which ways are more beneficial than others. Wendy Suzuki is a professor of neural science and psychology at New York University. The article shows adaptive coping mechanisms, maladaptive coping mechanisms, and how to diagnose the problem.
The article explains how people manage stress in their everyday lives some on purpose and some just happen subconsciously. The reason we do these things is so our body avoids uncomfortable feelings and sometimes it can make matters worse. Even worse it can end up taking over your life. People can have adaptive coping mechanisms which are good, for example, exercising, communicating your feelings, playing with animals, and many other things. Especially during the time of COVID-19 it is very important to stay in contact during isolation so you do not start to feel stress or loneliness. Also, there are maladaptive coping mechanisms which are bad. Examples of maladaptive coping mechanisms are alcohol abuse, acting violent, denying the problem, and many more. Having the bad coping mechanisms can also end up taking a toll on your body overall. Quoted by Wendy Suzuki, “It is entirely possible to change your current negative ways of coping with anxiety and also their underlying effects on your brain and body” (Suzuki, 2021).
The main problem that people have is that they do not want to recognize that they have a problem and just let it go. The main way Suzuki describes the way to handle stress is to use coping mechanisms that are beneficial to you, and the only way you figure that out is by trying new ones until you feel the right ones that work for you.If you can feel something about yourself feels off and you seem more anxious then you need to find a solution. To do that it will require energy and curiosity. The more you ignore the problem the worse it will end up being in the long run for you. “Stress can cause the following; feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, and frustration. Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests. [Another big problem is] difficulty sleeping or nightmares” (CDC, 2021). Sometimes the coping mechanisms may not work if the problem is too severe and that is when you would need to contact a doctor if the stress or anxiety becomes life-threatening. Almost all of the time you can be the one who controls your own emotions and how you feel.
People need to understand that everyone goes through stress and anxiety and you should not try to hide it at all and in fact it shows that hiding it makes it worse. There is no shame in communicating your feelings and getting help when you need it. Wendy Suzuki clearly showed the adaptive coping mechanisms, maladaptive coping mechanisms, and how to diagnose the problem at hand. The only way to help your stress is taking initiative and there is no time to waste. You do not want to be held back from your potential in life because of stress and anxiety especially when there is a fix you just have to go find it and do it.
Works Cited
“Coping with Stress.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 July 2021. Web. 14 Sept. 2021.
Fliteracy. “Coping with Stress.” YouTube. YouTube, 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2021.
PhD, Wendy Suzuki, About the Author Wendy Suzuki PhD Is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University’s Center for Neural Science and a Celebrated International Authority on Neuroplasticity. She Was Recently Named One of the Top 10 Women Changing the W, and Alicia Chong Rodriguez. “Could the Ways You Cope with Stress Be Undermining You? Here Are Healthier Ways to Respond.” Ideas.ted.com. 07 Sept. 2021. Web. 14 Sept. 2021.