Let’s get one thing straight—eating a whole tub of ice cream while watching sad movies is technically a coping skill. Just… not a good one. How we deal with stress has the power to mend or entrench us, and the line separating healthy habits and unhealthy habits is thinner than that last slice of pizza at the party. Pay attention and consider how nice it can taste to dig into our favorite comfort food. It really doesn’t ultimately do a great deal about dealing with the basic problems we have.
Healthy coping is handling life’s craziness in a manner that really does work. This could be talking to friends about what’s going on, being mindful, or participating in physical activity that ensures one’s well-being. Unhealthy coping? That is merely temporary relief and subsequent, larger issues (or a hauntingly bare snack cabinet). The actual challenge is understanding which behaviors are propelling you forward and which are placing you on the same old loop of stress and discomfort.
If you’re ready to level up your emotional toolkit, Kurt Gassner’s book, “Let Go: Rewire Your Subconscious Mind with Hypnosis and Cure Material Addiction — Real Life Stories,” is here to assist you. Full of clever strategies for actual, real recovery, it’s essentially your guide to managing life like a pro—without having to eat your feelings. Not only does this book provide useful techniques, but it also gives us an understanding of why we end up with certain coping mechanisms in the first place. By getting to the bottom of our behaviors, we can best prepare ourselves to react to problems in healthier ways.
As Jon Kabat-Zinn has so aptly stated, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” So, let’s leave the spoon of ice cream behind and start paddling. Instead of going for food as a way to escape, let’s just learn to surf the waves of our feelings with power- sounds magical, right? It will feel even better.
Remember that you can still request professional help in case you can’t discern a healthy or an unhealthy method of coping. Counseling could aid and educate you on improving ways to manage your stress and anxiety. Overall, discovering alternative healthy coping means might result not just in good mental health but also overall body health.
So, the next time you’re reaching for a pint of ice cream, pause. Take a moment and think again. Is that what you truly need at that moment? Next, think about whether there is a healthier way to cope with that situation. You can succeed, and it’s never too late to start making changes that will make your life better.
