Coping, from an Introduction to Psychology Instructor

I finished my lecture on stress and coping a few weeks ago.  During these crazy COVID-19 physical distancing times, I thought that sharing some of what I shared in that lecture might be a good idea.  Here you go!

Stress affects your health in both the short-term and the long-term.  This video describes how that works. 

The Cognitive Appraisal Approach suggests that the way that you think about two things affects how stressful a change will be:

• Primary:  Classifying the change as threatening or as an opportunity to succeed, then
• Secondary:  Determining if you have enough resources to cope with the change.

So, if you see the opportunity in any challenge, and focus on your resources to deal with it, then it will be less stressful.

Meditate!  Meditation improves mood, and it also improve your health by suppressing the sympathetic nervous system. Since you missed the chapter on biological psychology, the sympathetic nervous system controls:

• Heart & breathing rates
• Relaxed brain waves

Here's a great video that lists the following coping strategies.  You can do all of them from home!

• Stay in
• Repetitive tasks
• Warm water
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Get out
• Exercise, yoga, meditation
• Laughter and socializing
• Treat yourself
• Dark chocolate
• Smell- lavender and  spearmint

Social support has several benefits, too, so don't neglect virtual socializing now! Social support improves your immune system, as well as providing the following kinds of support:

• Informational support-    providing specific information that helps someone
• Emotional support-    providing emotional comfort and love
• Tangible support-    providing actual help

Research on positive psychology and happiness also offers some suggestions.  One is to write three good things that happened to you today! They can be big or small.  If you do this consistently, you should feel happier, and focus more on the good things in your life than what went wrong each day.

Thank you for participating in my short lecture on coping strategies!  I wish you all good physical and mental health!