Enumerate the different ways of coping with stress.
Solution
To manage stress we often need to reassess the way we think and learn coping strategies.
Different ways of coping with stress are :-
1. Task-oriented Strategy :- This involves obtaining information about the stressful situation and about alternative courses of action and their probable outcome. It also involves deciding priorities and acting so as to deal directly with the stressful situation. For example, schedule my time better, or think about how I have solved similar problems.
2. Emotion-oriented Strategy :- This can involve efforts to maintain hope and to control one’s emotions. It can also involve venting feelings of anger and frustration, or deciding that nothing can be done to change things. For example, tell myself that it is not really happening to me, or worry about what I am going to do.
3. Avoidance-oriented Strategy :- This involves denying or minimising the seriousness of the situation. It also involves conscious suppression of stressful thoughts and their replacement by self-protective thoughts. Examples of this are watching TV, phone up a friend, or try to be with other people.
