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UCSB MHP
  • Home
  • MHP Services
  • Workshops & Coping Strategies
    • Relaxation and Mindfulness updated
    • Reducing Stress >
      • Where is my stress coming from?
      • How do you know when you are stressed?
      • Coping with stress when it has already arrived
      • Reducing less healthy coping strategies
    • Sleep Hygiene
    • Getting Involved
    • MHP Blog Posts & Newsletter
    • Building Academic & Personal Resilience
    • Tackling financial challenges
    • Breakup Bootcamp
    • breakup bootcamp worksheet
    • Imposter Syndrome
    • Social Media and Mental Health
  • Navigating Teletherapy
  • Building & Maintaining Close Relationships
    • Basic Psychological Needs in Relationships
    • Romantic Relationships
  • Mental Health Concerns
  • Suicidal Thoughts & Behaviors
  • Unique Challenges for Specific Student Groups
    • Freshman Transition
    • 1st Generation College Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Dream scholars, undocumented students & their families
    • LGBTQPIA+ Students
    • International Students
    • STEM Students >
      • Women in STEM
    • Greek Life
    • Athletes
  • Making Changes & Navigating Transitions
  • Application to be an MHP
  • Counseling & Psychological Services
  • Contact
  • Wellness Apps & Books
UCSB MHP

Reducing "Less Healthy" Coping Strategies

People cope with stress in a variety of ways, some of which are less healthy in the long run. The strategies that categorized as “less healthy” are not particularly problematic if they are used only occasionally. For example, it would be unrealistic to think that you will never react to stress by relaxing on the couch and watching tv.  However, problems start to arise when the less healthy options are really they only tools that you have developed to manage your stressors and/or these “less healthy” strategies as your  "go to", 1st choice to cope with stress.
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Examples of Less Healthy Coping:

  • Eating to feel better
  • Being sedentary (e.g., sitting on the couch)
  • Drinking
  • Smoking
  • Taking drugs
  • Shopping (e.g., retail therapy)
  • Playing video games
  • Binge watching t.v. (e.g., Netflix)
  • Surfing the internet (e.g., YouTube, Reddit, etc.)
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DID YOU KNOW?
Even though these “less healthy” strategies may feel good in the moment, these tools can actually backfire---that is, your reactions to stress (e.g., eating too much because of stress) can negatively affect your health in the long run (e.g., raise blood pressure, raise blood sugars; lead to depression or anxiety). 
 
So, the goal is to begin to develop more positive strategies to help you better cope with your current stressors and learn how to reduce your use of “less healthy” coping behaviors in response to stress. Check out our positive coping tools for your toolbox.
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