Living a transition life from a teenager into an adult can be so stressful; there are so many events we have to face for the first time in our life that we do not know what to do and have to figure out by ourselves, added to everyday life burdens which have been there and never gone. And that is why we need something to escape from this collection of stress. Writing about ways to escape from stress, have you ever heard or used the term coping mechanism in your daily life? I believe you are because I use this term a lot to describe something I do to reduce my stress, even if sometimes I am unsure if those activities I use for coping really help me to destress.

Based on (Algorani & Gupta, 2020), a coping mechanism is described as the collection of ideas and behaviors to manage internal and external instances of stress. It is a phrase that distinguishes between conscious and intentional mobilization of actions. It differs from 'defense mechanisms,' which are subconscious or unconscious adaptive responses to reduce or tolerate stress. (GoodTherapy, 2018), also proposes that coping mechanisms are the methods people frequently utilize to help manage painful or difficult emotions in the context of stress or trauma. Coping techniques can assist people in adapting to difficult experiences while maintaining their psychological wellness. 

There are various coping mechanisms that people often do, but basically, it depends more on individual needs and wants. Some probably need to do journaling to express their emotion so that the stress inside their mind can be channeled through writing. Others probably like to go outside and explore beautiful places to reduce stress. But some people sometimes do the not-so-recommended coping stress such as procrastinating, self-blaming, avoidance coping, and so on. Those activities are ways to put aside the stress burden by not doing the daily activities that might cause stress. It might drive your pressure away for a moment. However, it can result in a worse mental state or even interfere with your daily life because everything would be on pause, and that would not benefit you in any way except that you can somehow 'run away' from your stress.

So, what is the best way to deal with stress? Well, back again, it depends individually on the person. You can try many proper coping mechanisms, but I may recommend one of the best coping mechanisms that can help you cope with stress, clear your soul, and improve your mental condition. It is called meditation, the moment when we calm our minds and focus on ourselves.

Meditation or mindfulness has been performed for many decades. It was initially intended to aid in comprehending life's sacred and religious purpose. Nowadays, meditation has recently become widely practiced for relaxation and stress reduction. You do it to take some time for yourself and gather your mind. Throughout meditation, you focus your concentration and clear your mind from confused thoughts that may overwhelm your head and produce tension. Meditation has been scientifically proven to help the brain reduce stress; based on (Willner, 2020), brain scans on persons during meditation revealed enhanced activity in brain areas directly connected to decreased anxiety and depression. Meditation has been shown to alter certain brain regions implicated in stress and depression, including the medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. Moreover, (Jones et al., 2019) suggest that meditation methods provide significant psychological and physical health benefits, including reduced chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. 

Besides those scientifically proven facts, meditation is free medicine for your stress because it does not cost you any money. It is also effortless; you can do it at home, anywhere, whenever you want to. And that is another of many reasons why this way of coping is one of the best. 

So how do we meditate? Meditation has many types of methods depending on the purpose. However, I will tell you the simplest way of meditation that would calm your mind if you do it frequently: First, you can find a quiet and comfortable place and sit comfortably but make sure your posture is straight but not tense. Second, close your eyes and start to breathe in and breathe out slowly and deeply. Third, focus on the air you breathe in and breathe out that goes through your nose; feel it, and don't let any thoughts distract you from concentrating. The purpose is to be conscious and aware of everything surrounding you without thinking of something, and you will control your mind.

You can try this meditation frequently, for example, five minutes daily. The more you get used to meditating, the more you get aware of yourself and control your mind for every negative thought, including clearing stress. 

And to sum up, we all know the key to our happiness and peace is our mind. By focusing on yourself and clearing your mind from negative thoughts, you can gain inner peace, reduce stress, cope with your daily burden, and many more. So yeah, start meditating, and good luck!

References:

Algorani EB, Gupta V. Coping Mechanisms. [Updated 2022 April 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559031/

GoodTherapy. (2018, September 26). Coping mechanisms. Coping Mechanisms. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/coping-mechanisms

Jones, D. R., Lehman, B. J., Noriega, A., & Dinnel, D. L. (2019, March 30). The effects of a short-term mindfulness meditation intervention on coping flexibility. Anxiety, stress, and coping. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6900869/

Willner, T. (2020). Coping strategies: Techniques to keep us balanced: Second nature guides. Second Nature - Make losing weight feel easier. https://www.secondnature.io/guides/mind/stress/coping-strategies

Writer: Rani Roanliq L

Editor: Septian Paradesa