Coping means to invest own conscious effort, to solve personal and interpersonal problems, in order to try to master, minimize or tolerate stress and conflict. The psychological coping mechanisms are commonly termed coping strategies or coping skills.
Burnout is a common experience, particularly among high-achieving people. It can occur in tweens, teens, and adults. Often, burnout can occur as a result of employment roles, but also other care-giving roles, such as those of parents and helpers. What is burnout? Burnout is defined as a state of chronic, enduring stress. It is characterized […]
Being grateful doesn’t mean finding good things to drown out the bad, or to somehow say that you’re not allowed to feel grumpy because you have things to be grateful for. Ultimately, it’s trying to remind ourselves that often we have both; that our lives are both wonderful and difficult, light and heavy, fun and frustrating. It’s taking on a practice that says maybe sometimes you get to be grumpy and grateful.
A wise friend once said to me:
“Mollie, you’d never buy a footlong sub and then tell yourself – ‘I better eat this all in one bite.’”
At the time, I had a good laugh. And now, years later, I think of this all the time. Because when you put it that way, it makes so much sense – it’s crazy to set an expectation like that. You’d choke, you’d be sick, and you’d feel really terrible about that sandwich.
Sometimes, just coming back to the things we can reach out and touch, the things we hear, see, smell, or even taste can be helpful. Other times, it can be helpful to be prepared ahead of time, to keep a few little tokens on hand that are soothing, enjoyable, and use our physical senses.
Self-compassion is a way to help ourselves stay healthy. If you are like many of us, you may only think about your well-being after something hard has happened, like an illness, a crisis, or a stressful work issue. However, self-care is an ongoing issue, and not just when hard things happen. One thing that’s very […]
