Anxiety and worry are common sources of stress. Financial problems, health issues, family concerns, and a realm of other situations, can create an unhealthy amount of stress, when not addressed in a healthy manner.
A person may choose to cope with these types of situations in a variety of healthy or unhealthy ways. From denying the problem altogether, to attempting to “run away” or “hide” from the problem, an individual’s unique set of coping skills can either increase of decrease the level of stress they experience.
Denial is a common form of coping that many people employ to deal with life issues. Typically denial is a “coping skill” used by people in situations which present an unbearable amount of stress.
This may happen in alcoholic families, domestic violence relationships, even in people facing severe illness or death. A person in denial simply says “Everything is fine” and “Nothing is wrong.”
Attempting to run away or hide from a stressful life event is evident in those who use drugs or alcohol to “escape”, as well as those who simply “avoid” the problem. The individual who works too much, or the teenager who stays away from home for days at a time, are people attempting to escape the problem.
Procrastination can be a sign of worry and anxiety. Fear of “what will happen” if the person does face the problem, can lead to “putting off the inevitable.” This type of behavior also contributes to stress, as the unseen and unknown are often larger, in the mind, than in the situation.
Facing things head on may be difficult, but it is the healthiest way to handle situations that create worry, fear or anxiety. Getting answers, instead of speculating, and addressing problems, instead of denying, hiding or running away from them, is the only way to reduce the stress caused by these types of situations.