Life is great but life can also be, not so great, it’s how we cope with the not so great times that define us. Riding the rollercoaster of life is fun but there always lots of really scary dips and we tend to deal with these situations as best we can, mostly by avoiding them, or pretending they are not happening.
Avoiding or distracting yourself from certain situations or worries can back-fire badly. Here are some coping mechanisms you may be doing to help yourself cope but can in fact make matters worse.
- Binge watching your favourite TV show; although this feels like a great distraction from whatever it is that is on your mind, it can be more of a hindrance than a help. The best way to fight feelings of depression is by being active and productive. Watching TV is passive behaviour and should only be done in small doses, keep it as treat for accomplishing something that day.
- Avoiding stressful situations or situations that bring on anxiety. You may think you are doing yourself a favour by avoiding situations that are highly stressful or trigger anxiety but in fact it can actually make it worse. Anxiety can build up and by avoiding these situations you never get a chance to see that everything can be okay. Put yourself in situations that challenge your anxiety, even if it feels bad in the moment. It will help in the long run.
- Taking sick days when you feel overwhelmed with life – you may feel like you couldn’t possibly get out of bed, never mind go to work but staying in bed all day will not help. On days that you wake up and aren’t feeling great mentally, go in, but give yourself permission to leave early if you don’t improve. Don’t make not going to work your go to solution. If it’s your job that is making you feel unhappy, finding a job that will make you happy, is a much better solution.
- Getting enough sleep is an integral part of keeping everything in your life in working order. This includes both your physical and mental health. But like everything in life too much of something is usually a bad thing. Too much sleep is bad for your mental health, because to feel better in life, you need to be active. Sleeping too much can also make you feel more cranky and unable to cope with the day. You need to allow yourself the recommended eight hours sleep and that’s it.
- Distracting yourself from your worries may sound like a good idea in theory but in fact the more you try to distract your mind from your thoughts the more you tend to think to think about them. Distraction can back fire we need deal with our worries head on and learn the coping skills to deal with these situations.
maternity & infant
Originally posted 2015-08-06 14:15:39.