Coping Mechanisms

[nearfantastica]

What are your dominant coping mechanisms? Imagine any situation - you're stressed, you're feeling overemotional, etc. How do you deal with it?

Personally, I've always favoured detachment and escapism. I can only imagine that that's incredibly unhealthy, haha.

 

[Polaris]

Usually detachment as per default, unless the problem repeats itself again and again. The result may be explosive, blind anger. My ESTJ mother and an ESFP ex were the only people capable of bringing out this reaction, so it is rare now.

 

[Base groove]

Explosive anger is a last resort from which there is no return.

Intellectualization/withdrawal/detachment etc... the usuals.

Discovering the logical explanation for another's behaviour helps with intellectualization.

I tend to focus on the problem first, and the solution after, so I can get frustrated when people expect solutions (to be available, I mean... to themselves or to me) before they (or I) fully understand the problem...(I had to cope with this yesterday, for example)

 

[Reluctantly]

Depends; if I've been misunderstood and my attempts to correct that misunderstanding are rejected or considered dubious, I will detach the emotional connections I had with those people. Then I'm much more blunt, cold, and inconsiderate of what they want. And I'll see them as not much different than a stranger that has to build trust up slowly because, if they don't have the willingness to understand me, they have shown they don't care at all about me.

 

[Steven Gerrard]

I used to just leave...

I don't think that was a bad thing.

I stopped going to highschool.

Now I have to try and hold down a job so I'm looking forward to seeing if I can deal with people.

 

[BigApplePi]

Coping? In this order, twelve step program:

1. Rumination
2. Wait for emotional change
3. Re-think based on that
4. Wait until emotion goes away
5. Act when sense most choices are in; don't act if no solution
6. If can't cope at all, OCD or go around in circles
7. If OCD, worry/ seek a vacation/ withdraw/ shovel snow/ go for a jog
8. Ask for help/ go to INTPf and plead for mercy/ blaspheme kiss a moderator
9. Scream into the void/ ask why I was born
10. Curse fate; yell at wife; kick dog; crush ant
11. Sleep on it
12. Cozy up to God

 

[doncarlzone]

I think apathy is one coping mechanism, however, if I'm really bothered by something then apathy or detachment is near impossible.

If I try to rationalize the emotions I sometimes have an internal talk like this:

However you feel now, will seem completely pointless in a just a few days or tomorrow.

Yeah but this situation is really unique and there is a really good reason to feel bad this time

That's exactly what you always think and there never is, nothing ever is, can you even remember what you stressed over the last time? No.

This might seem a bit weird but I can't be the only one debating with myself.

So I'd say I attempt apathy, reasoning with my emotions or simply just worry until the emotion is gone as BAP mentioned.

 

[Anktark]

If it's really really bad and there are people projecting negative emotions at me: localized nuclear meltdown. Though now that I have got older I don't think I am capable of being offended enough to reach that critical mass.
If it's not that bad, meditation or I reciting an appropriate poem or Litany against fear.
There is also another option, but something monumentally wrong would have to happen for me to... go and try talk with people about observations of my feelings. Oh, I crack myself up sometimes

Either way, after I am back to being nearly objective, I analyze the problem if there is one.