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Abstract

and this coping mechanism can actually lead to more issues such as extreme weight gain and anxiety.How to avoid emotional eating when stressed:<ul><li>Focus your energy on doing something that will relax you. Take a walk, or a bath, read a book</li><li>Meditate</li><li>Surround yourself with people who can help you in times like this (also a great distraction from your cravings)</li><li>Stock your pantry with healthy alternatives. Instead of reaching for those greasy and fatty chips, have a handful of pretzels or plantains</li></ul><h2 id="e031">Alcohol</h2>Alcohol is a powerful and extremely negative coping mechanism because you can be using it without even realizing it. How often do you tell yourself you “deserve” a glass of wine after you had a crappy day?Those days can add up very quickly and before you know it, your 1 glass will turn into 1 bottle.Ask yourself a few of the following questions:<ul><li>I drink to relieve stress</li><li>I drink to sleep</li><li>I drink to avoid painful memories</li><li>I drink to lessen social anxiety</li></ul>If you said yes to any of those questions, this could mean that you are using it to deal with things you find difficult facing.It’s not uncommon, you see it essentially everywhere. The media shows you to drink after a bad break up, have shots when you’re going out with a group of friends, enjoy wine after a stressful day.I used alcohol as a coping mechanism every time I had a bad day. I felt that I deserved a glass of wine, it made me feel better, it relaxed me. This resulted in me wanting a glass of wine at any given moment of the day when something would go wrong, and I don’t know about you but I did not want to live that way. Alcohol should not be the first thing that pops into your head when you feel down.There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a drink, there is something wrong when you start turning to it to make you live a happier life. Alcohol doesn’t make you a happier or better individual, you are in charge of your happiness.<h2 id="6e8b">Denial</h2>Sweeping your problems under the rug doesn’t get you anywhere. I wish that it did, I wish I could tell you that if you just pretend that the issue isn’t there, it will magically go away.Being in denial about a problem only makes things significantly worse because as you let it sit there, under that colorful rug you swept it under, it grows bigger and bigger.Meaning you will implode because you have all of these problems that you choose to overlook and not deal with.People who live successful and happy lives focus on reality despite how unp

Options

leasant and painful it may be. They face problems head-on and try their best to come up with solutions.In contrast, unhappy individuals avoid difficult situations. They argue, fight, and delay tough decisions.Oftentimes, when I have relationship problems with my significant other, I sweep them under the rug. “Maybe it’ll be better tomorrow,” I tell myself.When you put off important conversations, your problems don’t magically work themselves out. You need to be the one that puts in the effort to come up with a solution. Nothing worth having fixes itself and thrives.Being in denial puts you back. If you want to succeed, learn to face your problems immediately rather than delaying it.<h2 id="695d">Relationships</h2>I want to discuss relationships. Have you ever noticed a friend or someone you know who likes to get into relationships immediately after ending another one? Oftentimes, people turn to others in order to make themselves feel better.What about? Anything.People turn to others expecting them to turn their life upside down and make them utterly happy when the only person that can make you happy is you.You can’t rely on another person to make you happy and fulfilled. You need to find your own bliss, you need to find your own happiness. You need to learn to be happy on your own.Starting a relationship as an emotional crutch to get over your last one, or in general, if you start relationships because you’re scared of being alone or whatever your reasoning is — is unhealthy. It’s selfish and neither one of you will be happy in the relationship if that’s how it starts. A relationship should always start with genuine intentions.<h2 id="4be0">Isolation</h2>Similar to how it’s not healthy to start relationships to bring joy and fulfillment into your life, it’s also unhealthy to isolate yourself. This might seem like a good option but in reality, connection is one of the most essential human needs.We need to feel connected and supported, we need to have a community, we need to live with others and be in harmony.Shutting yourself out can be mentally and emotionally harmful. It can make you feel lonely and it can lead to low self-esteem.I’m an introvert to the max. I prefer time alone than being in a social setting, but after many trials and errors, I understand the difference between spending time alone to be with my thoughts and feelings, and spending time alone because I want to isolate myself from the world.Quality time with you is just as important as quality time with a friend.</article></body>

5 Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms That You Should Avoid

#1 Emotional Eating

When going through certain life-altering events, positive and negative, people often try to adjust their stress by utilizing some form of behavior, action, thought or emotion to combat whatever it is they are dealing with.

It can be difficult to identify whether or not you are utilizing something as a coping mechanism. It can feel like you’re actually just doing what you normally do, but in reality, there are underlying issues that have caused you to turn to certain things because they make you feel “good.”

Understanding these can help you unpack your feelings and live a happier life which is essentially every human’s goal so why don’t we jump right in?

Emotional Eating

When you’re feeling stressed, your body goes into a “fight or flight” mode. This releases a hormone called cortisol in our bloodstream which increases hunger because your body is craving energy to combat whatever stress you’re facing. In result, this oftentimes makes your body crave junk food.

Hello, ice cream and hello pizza

With diets coming in and out quicker than Amazon Prime, I want you to understand that eating is not a bad thing. Restriction is not a sustainable way to live, however, if you are using food as a tactic to distract yourself from real life, that’s when things get serious.

Food is an extremely temporary fix. If you often find yourself turning to eating your weight in Ben & Jerry's, maybe you need to take a step back and ask yourself if there is something else going on.

I had a close friend who ate nonstop whenever she was feeling stressed. This happened because she never truly learned how to deal with stress, and in result any time life threw a punch at her, she headed to the ice cream section at her local grocery store. She always had candy bars in her bag and her snack drawers were always stocked. Her happiness comprised of food but after, she would always feel 10x worst because she not only suffered unwanted weight gain, but she also felt controlled by food.

While food does provide a temporary satisfaction and distraction from life problems, it never solves the root of the problem. Stress levels do not decrease after overeating, and this coping mechanism can actually lead to more issues such as extreme weight gain and anxiety.

How to avoid emotional eating when stressed:

Focus your energy on doing something that will relax you. Take a walk, or a bath, read a book
Meditate
Surround yourself with people who can help you in times like this (also a great distraction from your cravings)
Stock your pantry with healthy alternatives. Instead of reaching for those greasy and fatty chips, have a handful of pretzels or plantains

Alcohol

Alcohol is a powerful and extremely negative coping mechanism because you can be using it without even realizing it. How often do you tell yourself you “deserve” a glass of wine after you had a crappy day?

Those days can add up very quickly and before you know it, your 1 glass will turn into 1 bottle.

Ask yourself a few of the following questions:

I drink to relieve stress
I drink to sleep
I drink to avoid painful memories
I drink to lessen social anxiety

If you said yes to any of those questions, this could mean that you are using it to deal with things you find difficult facing.

It’s not uncommon, you see it essentially everywhere. The media shows you to drink after a bad break up, have shots when you’re going out with a group of friends, enjoy wine after a stressful day.

I used alcohol as a coping mechanism every time I had a bad day. I felt that I deserved a glass of wine, it made me feel better, it relaxed me. This resulted in me wanting a glass of wine at any given moment of the day when something would go wrong, and I don’t know about you but I did not want to live that way. Alcohol should not be the first thing that pops into your head when you feel down.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a drink, there is something wrong when you start turning to it to make you live a happier life. Alcohol doesn’t make you a happier or better individual, you are in charge of your happiness.

Denial

Sweeping your problems under the rug doesn’t get you anywhere. I wish that it did, I wish I could tell you that if you just pretend that the issue isn’t there, it will magically go away.

Being in denial about a problem only makes things significantly worse because as you let it sit there, under that colorful rug you swept it under, it grows bigger and bigger.

Meaning you will implode because you have all of these problems that you choose to overlook and not deal with.

People who live successful and happy lives focus on reality despite how unpleasant and painful it may be. They face problems head-on and try their best to come up with solutions.

In contrast, unhappy individuals avoid difficult situations. They argue, fight, and delay tough decisions.

Oftentimes, when I have relationship problems with my significant other, I sweep them under the rug. “Maybe it’ll be better tomorrow,” I tell myself.

When you put off important conversations, your problems don’t magically work themselves out. You need to be the one that puts in the effort to come up with a solution. Nothing worth having fixes itself and thrives.

Being in denial puts you back. If you want to succeed, learn to face your problems immediately rather than delaying it.

Relationships

I want to discuss relationships. Have you ever noticed a friend or someone you know who likes to get into relationships immediately after ending another one? Oftentimes, people turn to others in order to make themselves feel better.

What about? Anything.

People turn to others expecting them to turn their life upside down and make them utterly happy when the only person that can make you happy is you.

You can’t rely on another person to make you happy and fulfilled. You need to find your own bliss, you need to find your own happiness. You need to learn to be happy on your own.

Starting a relationship as an emotional crutch to get over your last one, or in general, if you start relationships because you’re scared of being alone or whatever your reasoning is — is unhealthy. It’s selfish and neither one of you will be happy in the relationship if that’s how it starts. A relationship should always start with genuine intentions.

Isolation

Similar to how it’s not healthy to start relationships to bring joy and fulfillment into your life, it’s also unhealthy to isolate yourself. This might seem like a good option but in reality, connection is one of the most essential human needs.

We need to feel connected and supported, we need to have a community, we need to live with others and be in harmony.

Shutting yourself out can be mentally and emotionally harmful. It can make you feel lonely and it can lead to low self-esteem.

I’m an introvert to the max. I prefer time alone than being in a social setting, but after many trials and errors, I understand the difference between spending time alone to be with my thoughts and feelings, and spending time alone because I want to isolate myself from the world.

Quality time with you is just as important as quality time with a friend.