What is a coping mechanism, and what makes it unhealthy or healthy? A coping mechanism is defined as a way to deal or "cope" with stress and other unpleasant emotions. Personally, I and my therapist have discussed coping mechanisms quite a bit. Coping mechanisms could include eating, self-harm, buying things impulsively, going for a walk, hanging out with friends, spending all or most of your time alone, listening to music, watching movies, doing drugs, and the list goes on and on. Anything in life could be a coping mechanism. But what makes a healthy coping mechanism? That is always something that is up for debate; for example, I enjoy going on walks with my family in the early morning in a public area. However, I also used to enjoy going on walks at 1 am or later around my neighborhood. Yes, it is the same action, walking. However, the way that I did it was quite different. One is safe = healthy, while the other may or may not be safe = most likely unhealthy. The coping mechanisms that I consider healthy are unique; this is because everyone is a unique individual and has different coping mechanisms. I like to paint when I'm really upset, even though I don't believe I'm a very good artist. I LOVE photography; it's not something I do constantly, but it feels nice to have control over how the photo will come out. When I was manic, my favorite happy thing to do was dance and clean. My favorite thing to do when I was younger was gymnastics, but I don't do gymnastics anymore. Your interests and coping habits may change. Both allowed me to be free and move quite a bit. All coping mechanisms are unique to you. You can always find a way to make changes to your coping mechanisms. How? Well, one of the easiest is trying new things. Sometimes, you may have an idea of what you might love doing, but you'll never truly know unless you give it a shot!
