Mindset Foundation

Helpful coping strategies

We all need coping strategies. These help us deal with challenges and stressors. Coping strategies are techniques or activities that work to reduce sudden stress. Whilst all coping strategies help to alleviate the immediate feeling of stress, not all coping strategies are beneficial for our long-term health.

Unhelpful coping strategies may help in the moment of sudden stress, but at the same time they run the risk of making tomorrow worse. This includes the use of alcohol and drugs.

Conversely, helpful coping strategies are those that help improve the sudden stress whilst also not having negative impact on our life, or even better, they benefit our long-term health. Examples may include going for a walk or speaking with a friend.

• Think of two or three coping strategies that will help you to deal with a sudden stress and will not harm your long-term health – or even better, be of benefit to your future.