Adaptive or Maladaptive
Instead of confronting your boss about your workload, you go home and eat a whole pizza while binge-watching TV.
What is maladaptive?
One reason that unhealthy coping mechanisms are harmful is...
- Raise risk for (mental) health problems
- Negatively impact relationships
- Ignores underlying problems or emotions
- Stops emotional/psychological growth
- Creates larger problems in long-term
Rather than process difficult emotions, you cut yourself off from friends, family, and the outside world entirely.
What is social withdrawal/isolation?
Step one to change: noticing when you’re reaching for that unhealthy habit.
What is self-awareness?
Talking to a trusted friend about your feelings instead of bottling them up.
What is adaptive?
Our past experiences may lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms by...
What is shaping how we respond to stress and teaching us patterns that feel safe but are harmful?
This coping style involves spending hours gaming, scrolling, or streaming to escape real-life problems.
What is excessive screen time?
Writing down your triggers and your reactions to them can help you spot patterns to change.
What is journaling?
You tell yourself you’ll “just play one game” online, and suddenly it’s 3 a.m. and tomorrow’s meeting is doomed.
What is maladaptive?
What is not providing healthy examples of good coping skills or interfering with healthy relationships (lack of support system)?
Some deal with stress by buying things they don’t need, racking up debt faster than they can say “next-day delivery.”
What is compulsive shopping/spending?
This professional can guide you through replacing harmful coping with healthier strategies.
What is a therapist?
Exercising regularly to reduce stress and boost your mood.
What is adaptive?
Trauma may lead to unhealthy coping mechanims by...
What is triggering defense mechanisms or overwhelming us so that we seek escape or avoidance?
This self-destructive pattern involves hurting yourself physically to deal with emotional pain.
What is self-harm?
Instead of stress-eating, you take a short walk or drink water — an example of this process.
What is substitution?
Taking deep breaths before giving a presentation.
What is adaptive?
Culture can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms by...
What shapes our perception of stressors and difficult emotions in unhealthy ways?
What is substance abuse or addiction?
Unlearning unhealthy coping often requires repeating new habits until they become this.
What is practice?