Coping Skills vs Self Care…Is there a difference?

11 Jul Coping Skills vs Self Care…Is there a difference?

You may be thinking there is an earlier blog about self-care, why are we discussing this again? You’re right, there is a previous post about self-care and its benefits. There can never be too much conversation about providing self-care. In multiple recent therapy sessions with both private practice client’s and acute hospital patients the subject of self-care has come up. There seems to be some confusion so I figured this was the perfect topic for my next post.  Is there a difference between self-care and coping skills? Actually, the two are interchangeable but there is a slight difference.

Let’s picture a clean, 2017 convertible mustang with shiny blue glittery finish. Yes, glittery! Imagine driving off the lot with the top down feeling the breeze and the sun shining on your face. Now let’s picture driving this same car about 9 months later. Picture the service engine light clicking on while driving on a breezy Sunday afternoon. You think, what is this light and why is it on just 9 months after I purchased my brand new glittery blue car? Then you remember missing your 3-month service appointment and several other rescheduled appointments since you purchased your car. You figured since the car was brand new you can stand to miss the first few service appointments. Well, actually that’s a false assumption. Now the car is having a few minor service issues and you began to worry. You did tell the car sells man you would opt out of the service package and gap insurance. Yikes.

So how does self-care and coping skills factor in this story you’re wondering. Think of yourself as the car. Those 9 months without proper diet, exercise, rest and relaxation will trigger a mental break. The restorative and preventative measures taken to ensure you are well kept are considered self-care. Self-Care is the maintenance. The balanced meals will provide fuel for your daily grind and adequate sleep will restore your body. Regularly scheduled relaxation dates (beach visits, massages, personal care appointments and such) will provide calm and tranquility for those frequent periods of stress.  The 3-month service checks and the daily self-conducted checks before driving the car (going throughout your day) will ensure you are a well-oiled machine. Let’s not forget the biweekly washes to maintain the glittery finish. Yep, that glittery finish is your nice skin tone with all of the bells and whistles including skin creams, oils, butters and such. Now imagine not using those essentials for 9 months and how rough your skin feels. So, you see self-care is what keeps you going. Think of it as a box that’s full of gifts, trinkets, snacks and glitter. Now picture this box, your body, running low on fuel. You start to run slowly and pick up all of the trash along the way. To restore that box to its normal state, you’ll need to maintain your self-care practices. The restorative and preventative measures that assist in maintaining that box is essential.

Do you remember that service engine light at the 9-month mark? After driving your car home, you popped the hood and assessed the fluid levels and such. It was determined that the oil was extremely dirty, low and the auxiliary fluids were almost depleted and old. How do I get my car back to the first day when I drove it off the lot you thought? That’s where coping skills come in. Coping skills are considered those quick fixes that remedy the situation. Those days that have been extremely stressful; the traffic to and from work, the overzealous supervisor, the relationship discord, the financial stressors, the ailing parent and that service engine light! Coping skills allow you to relieve stress in your day-to-day. It allows you to decompress, unwind and improve your mood. That emergency service appointment is considered a coping skill of sorts. Your car will need a quick fix to ensure the conditions have improved and you are able to drive minus the service light. After a long day at work, you will need a hot shower or tub bath to decompress and get ready for bed. While at work, you’ll need to utilize breathing techniques to relieve stress that are highly effective. During your commute, you’ll need music to get you through rush hour traffic.

Coping skills are the daily go-to tools that help to relieve stress and improve mood. Self-care is the regularly scheduled maintenance that helps to prevent and restore oneself from stress. If practiced frequently, one can minimize mental breaks and extended periods of stress.

If you find yourself having difficulty implementing coping skills and self-care practices within your life, schedule an appointment and we will figure it out together.

Appointments can be made at schedule@positivetherapy.co and (305) 981-1700.

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