How we cope reflects:
(1) how we respond to adversity
(2) how resilient we are in life
(3) our emotional and physiological well-being
When we experience stress, we cope by regulating and adapting our emotions, thoughts, and actions to reduce our discomfort/suffering and improve our well-being.
Our coping strategy describes how we cope. Examples include:
- Managing how we react emotionally (emotion-focused)
- Modifying the way we think about the trigger (appraisal-focused)
- Proactively to eliminate the actual source of our stress (problem-focused)
The coping strategy we employ is highly person- and context-dependent. However, in general, the more coping skills and strategies we use, the more effective we are in responding to our stressors.