(bright guitar music)
(writing utensil scratching) (bell dings) - [Teacher] Hey there Psych2Goers, and welcome back to another video. According to statistics, only
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mental health content. Now, let's continue. We all have different ways of dealing with stressful circumstances. Maybe you like to go
to the gym and workout, or maybe you like to turn
the music up in your car and sing along to the radio,
when you're stressed out. Either way, these two types
of coping mechanisms are good and healthy, since they aren't
harmful to you or others. But there are some
unhealthy coping mechanisms that you might have due to stress, that can be harmful to
you and or other people. With that said, here are five common unhealthy coping mechanisms
that you shouldn't ignore. Number one, forced positivity. I'm sure you've heard the
term, good vibes only. This statement and its
accompanying sentiments, have become part of our societal culture. Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a positive mindset. Positivity can be a pretty powerful tool when you wanna manifest that in your life. However, the notion of
only positive vibes, have been taken to the extreme. Toxic positivity. Toxic positivity does not come from a place of genuine happiness, it comes from a place of denial, invalidation or minimization. It's an attempt to display
a positive disposition at all times, even when you're
not in the best of moods. It's usually so excessive, that the toxic positivity
phrases are obvious. Some examples of toxic positivity are, "Don't think about it, be positive. Everything will work out in the end. If I can do it, so can you." Or, "It could be worse." When you force yourself to
be positive at all times, you're barring and
repressing your emotions, which can lead to doubt, shame, and relational problems with others. Sometimes life just sucks, and no amount of positivity can fix it. It's all right to be angry, jealous, annoyed or deeply upset about things. The good and the bad emotions
are all part of being human. Number two, isolating yourself. For now, being socially
distant is our safest option. But there're other ways you
might be isolating yourself without realizing it. Socially isolating yourself simply because you don't like
the people who are around you, is not a healthy habit. This can make it harder for you
to relate to others overall, when you do something like this. As a species, we are social creatures and we crave and need proper
connection with other people. You can learn a lot from
the people around you. When you connect with
others in a healthy manner through supportive conversations
and good healthy talks, you're allowing yourself to
grow emotionally and mentally. Fostering your mental
resilience can be helpful when times of stress do arise. If you feel anxious in social situations, try going to an event
with someone you know, or reach out to a professional therapist, who can teach you techniques
to reduce the stress you feel caused by social situations. Number three, fatalism. When somebody bad happens, our brains immediately
embellish the event, that makes it seem like it's
the worst possible thing to have ever happened to you. It's a mental trait that
has kept humans alive for millions of years, so the same mistakes won't be
repeated in need of survival. However, in our modern day society, it functions as a self-defense mechanism, you prepare for the worst just in case. But, this behavior might
be causing you more stress than necessary. High levels of stress can lead to severe mental and physical health problems, like depression and even heart disease. A tool to help overcome this
need to catastrophize would be, to allow yourself to think of
the five top worst outcomes. And then, ask yourself, how likely they are to actually happen. If you feel like a bad
outcome is truly likely, then plan for that one outcome, create a plan that is flexible and doable in case it needs to change. This will give you a better
sense of security going forward, and create less stress in your life. Number four, repressing your feelings. Are you you repressing your feelings because you think that no one cares? Or that it's a waste of time? Often, this behavior is a type
of self-defense mechanism, that activates when you
believe that you no longer have control over a certain situation. Whether you choose to
overreact or under react, you are not giving your emotions
a chance to be aired out. While there should be a degree of emotional self-control in place, we should remember to be
genuine with how we're feeling and express it calmly and reasonably, in a way that does not harm others. If you are more likely to overreact when something goes wrong,
notice any physiological changes. Usually your body is a good indicator of how you're actually feeling. Taking a moment to meditate
and ground yourself in your body, can help you minimize stress and reduce emotional outbursts. There're other ways to shake
out repressed emotions, such as yelling into a pillow,
dancing or working out. Number five, romanticizing the past. The past can hold a certain appeal, when we put our nostalgic goggles on, especially when the present
looks dim and not as promising. Unfortunately, we can't
resurrect the past. Things happened and chances
are, they did not happen exactly as you imagined they would. Living in a nostalgic daydream
of what could have been, can rob you of opportunities that you need to be taking advantage of
in your current present. If you find yourself taking
frequent trips down memory lane, figure out what
specifically appeals to you about those memories,
and try to recreate them in the present. The present can sometimes be dim and gray, but your perspective depends
on how you choose to handle it. So, which of these coping
mechanisms did you relate to most? How do you healthily or unhealthily cope with stressful circumstances? Share your experiences with
us in the comments below. Please, like and share this
video if it helped you, and you think it could
help someone else too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button from more Psych2Go videos
and thank you for watching. We'll see you next time.
