How Do Clinical Psychologists Assist Patients in Developing Healthier Coping Mechanisms?
Psychologist Brief
How Do Clinical Psychologists Assist Patients in Developing Healthier Coping Mechanisms?
Unpacking the transformative techniques clinical psychologists employ, this article delves into the development of healthier coping mechanisms with insights from leading experts. It explores the impact of cognitive reframing, daily mood tracking, and mindfulness on emotional strength and anxiety reduction. Discover evidence-based strategies that promise to reshape the way individuals confront inner discomfort and life's challenges.
- Cognitive Reframing Shifts Negative Thought Patterns
- Daily Mood Tracking Boosts Emotional Awareness
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Eases Anxiety
- Confront Inner Discomfort to Build Emotional Strength
Cognitive Reframing Shifts Negative Thought Patterns
As a psychologist, one powerful strategy I often employ is cognitive reframing, which helps patients recognize and challenge negative thought patterns that contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms. By guiding patients to identify automatic negative thoughts and examine the evidence supporting or contradicting these thoughts, we can gradually shift their perspective from a catastrophic or self-defeating narrative to a more balanced, realistic interpretation of their experiences. This process involves teaching patients to question the validity of their initial emotional reactions and develop more constructive, adaptive ways of understanding challenging situations. When patients successfully internalize this skill, they typically experience significant improvements in emotional resilience, reduced anxiety and depression, and a greater sense of personal agency - ultimately leading to enhanced overall well-being and a more positive, empowered approach to managing life's inevitable stressors.
Daily Mood Tracking Boosts Emotional Awareness
I have seen transform how people deal with life's challenges, through developing emotional awareness by keeping a daily mood track and reflection. This practice is more like learning to read the signals of the weather so that one can prepare for whatever condition may come.
I teach them by having them spend a few minutes every day recording their emotional state and the situation that triggers it. This serves as a basis rather than changing the behavior directly. This process helps people map out their personal emotional landscape. The impact on wellbeing typically unfolds in layers. People tend to feel more grounded and less reactive first. Over time, this awareness leads to better choices - stepping away from heated discussions earlier, recognizing when they need rest, or seeking support before reaching crisis points.
It changes how you relate: when you comprehend your emotional patterns, you learn to respond better and talk clearer at times when it feels harder. And, because self-awareness makes you discerning about knowing when help is needed or situations call for emotional preparation, the basis of the connections you enjoy will be much stronger and steadier.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Eases Anxiety
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a technique I frequently utilize to help my patients cope with stress. It encourages people to focus on the present moment, allowing them to become more aware of their sensations and thoughts without immediately responding. People who practice MBSR on a regular basis, particularly those suffering from anxiety or chronic pain, report feeling calmer and more in control.
One of my patients had severe anxiety, and she discovered that being conscious helped her regain control of her panic attacks. It not only made her feel less worried, but it also improved her sleep and happiness overall. Mindfulness obviously helps my patients develop better methods to cope with stress at work.
Confront Inner Discomfort to Build Emotional Strength
Firstly, I want to say that I actually hate the term (and the concept of) 'coping mechanisms' when it comes to mental health and feel that a lot of the standard coping mechanisms are actually partially responsible for people's ongoing suffering.
Why?
Well, although the dictionary definition of 'coping' may be about 'overcoming challenges,' in common parlance it's usually more about 'adjusting to or tolerating negative events or realities.' We don't 'cope' with things that we are overcoming and that are going away. We cope with things that we have concluded we'll never overcome. We learn to live with the thing instead of overcoming it, and that's a problem.
I just got off the phone with a client who was working through a massive trauma and her 'coping mechanisms' of using gratitude, affirmations, and positive visualizations were really just getting her to turn away from the pain she was experiencing in the moment.
But the strategy that I use to help my clients is the exact opposite. We need to STOP running from the pain! I mean, we don't want to go seeking pain either. We're not masochists taking pleasure in our suffering. But we need to understand that the discomfort of intense emotions is simply what it feels like when our body is trying to process something.
The turning feeling in the pit of your stomach, the tightness in your chest, the feeling of being gut punched... all of these are simply the internal sensations that we feel when our body is working through an intense emotion. It's not something to be feared or stuffed away.
The more we stuff them away, the more that we end up in negative thought patterns and perpetually low emotional states. We can't train our brains to push away and ignore emotions while - at the same time - expecting to become emotionally strong.
A lot of people think that 'emotionally strong' means to have the capacity to ignore your emotional responses. But that would be like saying that 'physically strong' means the ability to avoid lifting weights.
If we want to develop genuine emotional strength, we need to learn how to turn our attention directly to the discomfort that we're feeling inside during an intense emotional experience, how to release our resistance to that discomfort, and how to actively help our body process that emotional energy.
When you can confront all your inner discomfort without fear, you can approach any challenge this world throws at you with a sense of confidence, self-love, and inner peace.
