Five Coping Styles: How They Help and Hinder Your Health.
Discover Your Personal Coping Style
When I woke up this morning, my left arm was tingling. Not again. This was the third time in a week it had happened. A zing of panic. And then I said to myself, “Katharine, Get up, did you have your pills did you have your pill did you have your pills did you have your pills! You have a lot to do today. You probably slept on it wrong. Not to worry.”
That is quintessential me — and my coping style. I am a stoic. I usually dismiss worries that arise and get myself back on task. I go on with my schedule despite aches and pains. I learned this as a child from my dad who didn’t go to the doctor for thirty years. I must have been fifty before I heard about self-care. And only recently did I come came to see that maybe, just maybe, my style has a few problems.
Health in the 70+ generation varies dramatically. Some people have few or no issues and take no medications. Others have four or five chronic conditions and their health care is a full-time job. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle and find ourselves busy with the proverbial “patch, patch, patch.” In terms of our health, we all know that we should eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. We also know we should not smoke or drink too much.
