Coping mechanisms are strategies that individuals often use to deal with stressful situations and unpleasant emotions. They may be conscious or unconscious. Some individuals may confuse coping mechanisms with defense mechanisms. The two are, however, different concepts. Defense mechanisms are broadly unconscious and can change a person’s internal psychological state. Coping mechanisms on the other hand are typically conscious and purposeful and are used to manage an external situation troubling the individual.
The environment plays a crucial role in an individual’s mental health, affecting everything from their mood and stress levels to overall well-being. The ‘Environment’ refers to all that is around us .Everything including the physical, social , work and cultural environment to which humans respond in some way. Daniel Stokols, a social psychologist, describes three approaches to describe the human-environment relationship –
The minimalist approach which assumes that the physical environment has minimal influence on human behavior, health and wellbeing. The physical environment and humans exist have parallel components. The instrumentalist perspective believes that the physical environment exists mainly for use by human beings. The spiritual perspective sees nature as something to be respected and valued. It implies that in order for human beings to live contently, the environment must be maintained, healthy and natural.
Read More: Psychology of Spiritual Awakening: Transforming Self and Society
These different perspectives highlight the impact that the environment has on human beings and vice versa. Considering that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, it can affect mental health in multiple ways. Directly, it impacts mental health through the experience of environmental traumas, such as natural disasters or loss of livelihood. Indirectly, it can cause emotional instability and fear about the future, leading to anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues. Eco anxiety and grief are increasingly common responses to the growing awareness of climate change and environmental degradation. These feelings are often very challenging and can have a significant impact on mental health. However, there are several coping mechanisms to help an individual manage these emotions and take positive action.
Dealing with Eco-Anxiety
Support
Having a trusted person who you can talk to is very essential. Often individuals think they can handle stress all by themselves, when that is not the case. Human beings are social animals and require a community to support them. Talking about a stressful event with a supportive person is an effective way to manage stress. Seeking professional support instead of isolating yourself can greatly reduce the negative effects of stress and put you on the path of healing.
Relaxation Training
Physical exercises like sports and yoga are found to be of immense value in preparing a person for relaxation. Aside from these popular methods, there are some more techniques which are scientific and systematic in nature. One such procedure is deep muscle relaxation. This technique is based on the assumption that mental relaxation follows muscular relaxation.
Stress Resistant Personality
Recent studies have shown that people with high levels of stress but low levels of illness share these characteristics, which are referred to as the personality traits of hardiness. It consists of ‘the three Cs’, commitment, control and challenge. Individuals with stress resistant personalities are said to be assertive. They have a sense of purpose and direction in life, commitment to work, family and social life. They understand that life is a journey with ups and downs and make sure to have a positive mindset rather than see life as a threat. Not everyone has these characteristics, many of us have to relearn specific life skills such as rational thinking and assertiveness to equip ourselves better to cope with the demands of life.
Rational Thinking
Many stress-related problems in our life occur as a result of distorted thinking. Oftentimes, when an individual is faced with a problem, their mind immediately takes a negative turn. This is due to an inbuilt selective bias that draws our attention to negative thoughts from the past. These negative thoughts and images can impact our ability to maintain a positive outlook towards the future and hinder our ability to live in the present moment.
Read More: Cognitive Biases in Everyday Life
Overcoming Unhelpful Habits
Unhelpful habits such as perfectionism, avoidance or procrastination are strategies that help to cope in the short term but make one more vulnerable to stress. Perfectionists are individuals who have unrealistic expectations and demands. They are people who just have to get everything right. They have difficulty in varying standards according to factors such as time availability and consequences of not being able to stop work.
They are more likely to feel tense and find it difficult to relax. They tend to be critical of themselves and others. As a result, they may become inclined to avoid challenges. Avoidance is to put the issue at the back of your mind and refuse to acknowledge or face it. Procrastination means delaying things that have to be done. People who procrastinate deliberately avoid facing their fears. A positive health comprises being aware of oneself and others and acknowledging oneself’s shortcomings.
Balanced diet
A balanced diet can lift one’s mood, give more energy, feed muscles, improve circulation and strengthen the immune system and make one feel better to cope with stresses of life. The key to healthy living is to eat three meals a day and eat a varied well-balanced diet. When we are stressed we tend to eat junk foods, proclaiming it is our ‘comfort food’, which is high in fats, salt and sugar. These are not good for the body and in extreme cases can lead to obesity.
Our surroundings have a significant impact on our mental health, with positive and negative outcomes depending on the context. While the natural world typically gives us peace through recreation; climate change, earthquakes and natural disasters challenges us. It is important to recognise the impact of the environment on our mental health, in order to seek professional help and reduce environmental stress.
References +
- Coping Mechanisms – GoodTherapy.org therapy blog. (2023, December 4). GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/coping-mechanisms
- Lcsw, A. M. (2023, November 3). Healthy coping skills for uncomfortable emotions. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/forty-healthy-coping-skills-4586742
- Ágoston, C., Csaba, B., Nagy, B., Kőváry, Z., Dúll, A., Rácz, J., & Demetrovics, Z. (2022). Identifying types of Eco-Anxiety, Eco-Guilt, Eco-Grief, and Eco-Coping in a Climate-Sensitive Population: a Qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4), 2461. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042461
