The document discusses coping with stress, highlighting various coping styles such as proactive, avoidant, emotion-focused, and problem-focused coping. It emphasizes the importance of understanding different coping methods and their impact on personal well-being, as well as the influence of personality and external factors on coping effectiveness. Examples from real-life scenarios illustrate how individuals navigate stress, demonstrating both successful and maladaptive coping strategies.

1. Coping with Stress

2. Coping is how we deal with stress.
Coping can help us feel better when we're stressed out.
There are good ways to cope and not-so-good ways.
Good coping helps us in the long run.
Bad coping might make things worse.
People cope with stress in different ways.
It depends on our personality and how we handle things.
Coping can help us recover and feel better about ourselves.
We have different goals when we cope with stress.
We want to feel better and have good relationships.
There are different types of coping styles:
•Proactive coping means facing the problem directly.
•Avoidant coping means avoiding the problem.
•Emotion-focused coping is managing our feelings.
•Problem-focused coping is solving the problem.

3. Sania wanted to be a dancer but her parents wanted her to do
something else.
She joined an MBA course to make her parents happy but found it too
hard.
Even though she tried her best, she couldn't get good grades.
This made her frustrated and stressed, and she became angry all the
time.
Her friendships suffered because of this.
Finally, she talked to her parents and convinced them to let her
pursue dance.
At the performing arts institute, she did really well and her teachers
liked her.

4. Sharan got a big promotion but it brought too much work and stress.
He started making mistakes and people blamed him.
This made him feel depressed and even think about suicide.
Eventually, he had to see a psychologist for help.
Sania coped well with her stress, but Sharan struggled and needed
professional help.
Coping means dealing with stress, and people use different ways to
cope.
In this unit, we'll learn about coping and different coping styles.

5. DEFINITION AND NATURE OF COPING

6. Definition of Coping: Coping means dealing with stress. It's
how someone tries to handle stress they feel.
Types of Coping: There are different ways to cope with
stress. Some ways are helpful, and some are not.
Efforts to Reduce Stress: Coping involves trying to make the
bad effects of stress less. This could be on the mind, body, or
social life.
Instrumental vs. Palliative Coping: Coping can mean trying
to solve the problem causing stress or just trying to feel
better about it.

7. Conscious Effort to Handle Stress: Coping can be
something a person does on purpose or without
even realizing it.
Using Resources to Overcome Obstacles: Coping is
like using what you have to get through tough
times.
Managing Internal and External Demands: Coping
is about handling what's happening inside you and
what's happening around you when you're stressed

8. Adaptive vs. Maladaptive Coping: Some ways of coping
make things better in the long run, while others only help
for a short time and can make things worse later.
Different Coping Styles: Everyone deals with stress in their
own way. This could be because of their personality, how
much stress they can handle, or how they see the world.
Personality and Coping: The way someone deals with stress
can be influenced by their personality.
Hardiness and Resilience: Being able to deal with stress in a
tough situation is called hardiness. Resilience means
bouncing back after tough times.

9. Optimism vs. Pessimism: How someone sees the world can affect how they
handle stress.
Learned Helplessness: Feeling like there's nothing you can do to change a bad
situation can affect how someone copes with stress.
Sense of Coherence: Feeling confident and in control can help someone cope
with stress better.
Gender Differences in Coping: Men and women often deal with stress
differently. This could be because of how they think or how they've learned to
cope.
External Factors in Coping: Coping can also be influenced by things like
getting support from others.

10. Goals of Coping

11. 1.Decrease Negative Environmental Conditions:
Make the bad stuff around you less impactful.
2.Adjust to Negative Situations: Learn to deal
with bad situations.
3.Maintain Positive Self-Image: Keep feeling good
about yourself even when things aren't great.
4.Keep Emotional Balance: Stay calm and stable
emotionally.

12. 5.Ensure Positive Relationships: Keep your
friendships and connections healthy.
6.Assess Effectiveness: Figure out if what you're
doing to cope is actually helping.
7.Regulate Physiological Indicators: Make sure your
body is handling stress okay.
8.Decrease Psychological Distress: Feel less upset or
anxious.
9.Improve Functioning Over Time: Get back to feeling
normal or even better after a tough event.

13. Coping styles are different ways people deal with problems or
challenges.
There are four main coping styles: proactive coping, avoidant coping,
emotion-focused coping, and problem-focused coping.
Proactive coping means taking action to deal with problems before they
become too big.
Avoidant coping is when someone tries to ignore or avoid their problems.
Emotion-focused coping is about managing emotions related to the problem,
like stress or sadness.
Problem-focused coping focuses on finding practical solutions to the problem
itself.
Each coping style has its own way of dealing with difficulties

14. Proactive Coping:
1.Directly confronting stressful situations: Facing problems head-on.
2.Accumulation of resources: Gathering information or support to deal with
stress.
I3.dentifying potential stressors: Recognizing upcoming challenges.
4.Initial appraisal: Evaluating the stressful situation.
5.Taking preliminary action: Starting to address the stress before it escalates.
6.Seeking and using feedback: Getting input and adjusting strategies
accordingly.

15. Examples:Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Engaging in regular
exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, and ensuring sufficient
sleep to bolster resilience against potential stressors.
Time Management: Planning ahead, setting realistic goals, and
prioritizing tasks to reduce the likelihood of feeling
overwhelmed.
Seeking Support: Proactively reaching out to friends, family, or
support groups for advice or assistance when facing potential
challenges.
Skill Development: Acquiring new skills or knowledge to better
handle future stressors, such as taking a course on stress
management techniques

16. Avoidant Coping:
Trying to avoid stress: Ignoring or downplaying stressful situations.
Negative impact: Increased stress, anxiety, and loss of confidence.
Avoiding negative thoughts: Steering clear of thoughts or behaviors that
bring discomfort.
Linked to distress and depression: Denying or minimizing stressful demands.
Avoiding situations that evoke negative memories: Steering clear of triggers.
Goal abandonment: Giving up on goals if they provoke anxiety

17. Examples:Distraction: Engaging in activities such as binge-
watching TV shows, excessive gaming, or substance use to
divert attention away from stressors temporarily.
Denial: Refusing to acknowledge or accept the existence
of stressors, pretending they don't exist or downplaying
their significance.
Isolation: Withdrawing from social interactions or avoiding
situations that may trigger stress, such as avoiding conflict
or difficult conversations.
Escapism: Using activities like daydreaming, excessive
sleeping, or fantasizing as a means to mentally escape
from stressors.

18. Emotion Focused Coping:
Managing emotions related to stress.
Aimed at reducing negative emotions caused by stress, not solving
the problem directly.
Helps individuals accept and adjust to the situation.
Can lead to clearer thinking and seeking solutions.
Often used when changing the stressful situation isn't possible.
Examples include listening to music, meditation, and exercise.
May not address the root cause of stress.

19. Examples:Venting: Expressing emotions through talking to
friends, writing in a journal, or participating in therapy to
release pent-up feelings and gain perspective.
Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Practicing
mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga
to calm the mind and reduce emotional distress.
Seeking Emotional Support: Turning to loved ones or
support groups to receive empathy, understanding, and
validation of one's emotional experiences.
Self-compassion: Being kind and understanding towards
oneself during difficult times, acknowledging feelings
without judgment or criticism.

20. Problem Focused Coping:
Identifying and addressing the source of the problem.
Proactive approach to deal with stress.
Involves taking control of the situation and seeking
information.
Effective when the source of stress is clear and actionable.
Useful for situations like exams, interviews, and
presentations.
May not be suitable for emotional stressors like loss or
breakup.
Strategies include time management, seeking support,
and planning

21. Examples:Problem Solving: Identifying the root cause of stress
and developing a plan of action to resolve it, such as
brainstorming solutions or seeking advice from experts.
Seeking Information: Gathering relevant information or
resources to better understand the stressor and devise
effective strategies for overcoming it.
Taking Control: Assertively taking control of the situation by
setting boundaries, delegating tasks, or making necessary
changes to reduce the impact of stressors.
Seeking Professional Help: Consulting with professionals such
as therapists, financial advisors, or career counselors to obtain
specialized assistance in addressing specific stressors

22. Appraisal-Focused Coping:
• Challenging assumptions about perceptions of stressors.
• Uses cognitive reappraisal to cope with stress.
Combative Coping:
• Attempting to remove the stressor by overcoming it.
• Involves direct confrontation and tolerance of stress.
• Strategies include resource accumulation and decreasing
arousal.
Preventive Coping:
• Restructuring thoughts to make stressors less threatening.
• Strengthening resistance to prevent stressors from occurring.
• Adjusting behaviors and developing coping resources.

23. Appraisal-Focused Coping:
Challenging assumptions about perceptions of stressors:
• Example: Someone may perceive a tight deadline at work as
overwhelming and impossible to meet. Through appraisal-focused
coping, they challenge this assumption by considering past
experiences where they successfully met similar deadlines or breaking
down the task into smaller, more manageable steps.
Uses cognitive reappraisal to cope with stress:
• Example: Instead of viewing a job interview as a daunting experience,
someone may use cognitive reappraisal to see it as an opportunity to
showcase their skills and potentially advance their career.

24. Combative Coping:
Attempting to remove the stressor by overcoming it:
• Example: If someone is stressed about a difficult project, they may engage in
combative coping by working extra hours, seeking help from colleagues, or
developing new skills to successfully complete the project.
Involves direct confrontation and tolerance of stress:
• Example: A student who is stressed about an upcoming exam may confront the
stressor by studying diligently and tolerating the stress that comes with preparing
for the exam.
Strategies include resource accumulation and decreasing arousal:
• Example: To combat financial stress, someone may accumulate resources by
budgeting, saving money, or seeking additional sources of income. They may also
decrease arousal by practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or
meditation.

25. Preventive Coping:
Restructuring thoughts to make stressors less threatening:
• Example: Instead of worrying about potential conflicts with coworkers,
someone may restructure their thoughts by reminding themselves that
disagreements are a normal part of working in a team and can lead to
constructive solutions.
Strengthening resistance to prevent stressors from occurring:
• Example: A person may strengthen their resistance to stress by prioritizing
self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, and spending time with loved
ones, which can improve overall resilience and reduce susceptibility to
stressors.
Adjusting behaviors and developing coping resources:
• Example: Someone experiencing chronic stress due to a demanding job may
adjust their behaviors by setting boundaries, delegating tasks, or seeking
support from a therapist. They may also develop coping resources such as
time management skills or assertiveness training to better handle future
stressors.