Stressors and coping

Having a monitoring system to evaluate the presence and quality of potential stressors will put you in a better position to manage the impact these stressors can have on you, in other words to cope with them. Both the stressor and the coping strategies are closely interlinked; in fact the effectiveness of the coping strategy depends on the type of stressor you are dealing with. For example, if the stressor can be modified or even eliminated, the most effective coping strategies will be focussed on the individual stressor (Folkman & Moskowitz, 2004).

An example of this would be to develop effective time management skills to minimise work overload and enhance work-family balance. In other circumstances, stressors cannot be changed, so trying to eliminate them can increase a sense of losing control, increasing stress. In these circumstances, the most effective approach usually involves combining an emotion-focused strategy (i.e. trying to reduce the impact of negative feelings) with social support strategies. For example, if you have been dismissed from work, you may seek emotional support from your friends and family as the most immediate coping strategy. Subsequently, effective coping might include drawing on social support, by contacting your networks and finding out about job opportunities.

Another powerful way of coping can be to change the meaning of the stressful situation or 'meaning-focused coping'. For instance, 'success' in a very complex task unlikely to be finished in the time provided might be re-interpreted in terms of a learning opportunity.