Source: The Positive Psychology Toolkit© (The Coping Strategy Wheels)
Techniques and strategies have a focus (e.g., actions, social resources), a coping family that shares the same action tendency (e.g., problem solving, negotiation), and a way of coping (e.g., surrender, emotion regulation).
5 Strategies for Coping With Stress
Psychological stress arises in response to social and physical environments (Monroe & Slavich, 2016).
The stressor can be mild or intense: walking to the office on a hot day or traveling through the Kalahari Desert on foot, a pre-lunch rumbling stomach or failure of a vital food crop, an awkward conversation with a coworker or a hostage negotiation.
Such events cause a state of strain; impact our psychological and physical wellbeing; and vary in magnitude, timescale, and use of coping mechanisms.
The tools that follow can be adopted and adapted as needed to assist coping in difficult times, promoting growth, and supporting mental toughness and resilience.
They reframe a present or future situation, reduce or remove negative thoughts, or foster learning how to think positively.
1. ABCDE model
The ABCDE model, developed by Albert Ellis in the 1950s, provides a reflective framework. It supports us in changing our emotions and behaviors by identifying irrational beliefs and swapping them with rational ones.
Recognize, write down, and then challenge beliefs that are irrational or unhelpful.
ABCDE model |
A – Adversity or Activating event |
I didn’t do well in my math test today. |
B – Recognize the irrational Belief |
I’m useless. I can’t do anything right. |
C – Recognize the Consequence |
I give up and stop studying for the exam next week. |
D – Dispute the irrational belief and turn it into a rational belief |
I did well in the test last week.
I’ve been studying well, but I hadn’t covered this topic yet.
The results show me where I need to focus my attention. |
E – Effect of the new rational belief |
I sit down with my teacher to understand where I went wrong.
We work on parts of the test I didn’t understand, and I include what I have learned in my future studying. |
The process of disputing irrational beliefs can lead to a more authentic, beneficial belief system. You may not have control over your environment, but you do have control over your reactions.
2. Positive thinking
Everything we know, believe, and feel is based on our internal thoughts. Positive thinking gives us extraordinary power over our thinking and ourselves (Strycharczyk & Clough, 2015).
Affirmations are used widely within sports. The repetition of short statements provides a way for the athlete to mirror the uplifting effects of hearing positive messages from a friend or coach.
Spend some time thinking about situations that you have faced or expect to encounter in the future. For each, write down a few short, supportive statements that provide strength during a challenge.
Situation |
Short, supportive statements |
Interview |
I have prepared well.
I am looking forward to sharing my past successes. |
Presenting |
I’m confident and comfortable.
I enjoy presenting and sharing my ideas. |
There is also growing evidence that the use of positive internal conversations, known as self-talk, can significantly improve how we tackle a challenge or approach a situation.
Talk to yourself as though a friend, coach, or supportive colleague is offering you positive advice.
Situation |
Suggested narrative |
Difficult feedback at work |
I will approach the meeting calmly and confidently, taking all the facts with me. |
Running a marathon |
I have trained for the last six months, and I am prepared for the distance. I am rested, and I have been eating well. I can do this. |
A good practice at the end of each day for positively reinforcing successful performance is to write down and review three achievements, small or large, from the last 24 hours.
This daily closure activity helps you focus on what went well, rather than dwelling on disappointments or perceived failures.
Use the achievements to take that positivity through to the next day.
Name the achievement |
Review the successes |
Presentation |
I nailed the presentation. I was ‘in the moment.’ The audience was engaged, and I received great feedback. |
Time with family |
I finished work early. My family and I went to the park and played. |
Starting to write a book |
I began writing a book today. It’s been on my mind for years. |
3. Visualization
It is common practice for athletes to use imagery while they prepare for an event, practice a movement, or train while injured. Swimmers mentally rehearse a perfect dolphin kick, and endurance runners imagine pulling extra miles from the depths of their mental and physical resources (Meijen, 2019; McCormick, Meijen, & Marcora, 2015).
Focusing on positive mental images can favorably impact both our mind and body and increase self-belief in our ability to cope with change.
The mind offers a safe and flexible environment for practicing a stressful task. Mentally rehearsing a daunting performance prepares the individual by asserting control over a (sometimes harmful) inner voice (Strycharczyk & Clough, 2015).
4. Control the controllable
Athletes often talk about controlling the controllable.
Adequate preparation will increase the perception of control, which is crucial to our mental toughness and motivation, and improve performance.
Write down a list of outcomes, real or imagined, to an important situation on sticky notes.
For example, when reviewing a challenging meeting:
- Did attendees arrive prepared?
- Were accurate notes and actions taken?
- Was the agenda followed and all points covered?
- Was everyone heard?
- Was agreement reached over the critical decisions?
Place each note on a large copy of the following graph:
- What went well goes at the bottom and less well, at the top.
- What can be controlled goes in the left-hand column and what cannot be controlled, in the right-hand column
What our readers think
Hello,
Are there teaching materials available in other languages? I have a few Spanish speakers that would benefit greatly from having the literature written in Spanish.
Thank you.
Hi there Carole,
Thanks for your question! As of now, we only offer our Masterclasses and manuals in English. However, many past customers have translated our teaching materials into multiple different languages so they can use it in their practices in their home countries 🙂
I hope this helps!
Kind regards,
-Caroline | Community Manager
Dear Jeremy,
Thoroughly enjoyed reading the above with regards to coping methods. I am very sorry if this is irrelevant, however, which human suject Phd is related to this as I am really interested in taking on my studying further but failing in finding a good subject . Thank you and best regards