What's the best way to cope with stress? Approach vs avoidance

Summary

This video explores coping strategies, emphasizing the superiority of approach coping over avoidance. It defines coping as efforts to manage stress when demands exceed resources. Studies show approach coping, which includes active problem-solving like time management and seeking support, correlates with better mental health and life satisfaction. In contrast, avoidance coping, such as substance abuse or skipping school, is linked to lower academic performance and increased distress. The presenter advocates for adopting approach strategies, illustrating their benefits through personal anecdotes and a reference to a short animated film on stress management.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Coping is defined as a person's efforts to manage demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding available resources.
• 📈 Stress occurs when demands exceed resources, leading to various types of stress such as financial or academic.
• 🧠 Approach coping involves actively dealing with stressors, while avoidance coping involves efforts to distance oneself from stressors.
• 📊 Research indicates that approach coping is generally more effective and is associated with better mental health outcomes.
• 📚 A study on IB and AP students revealed that higher stress levels in these students correlated with poorer mental health, but positive appraisals and good family communication were linked to higher life satisfaction.
• 📈 Approach coping strategies such as time management, reappraisal, seeking support, spirituality, and relaxation are contrasted with avoidance strategies like skipping school, excessive sleeping, dropping classes, and substance abuse.
• 📉 Avoidance coping is correlated with lower GPA, lower exam scores, and higher psychopathology, suggesting it's less effective for managing stress.
• 💡 Approach coping can provide more resources to manage stress and increase one's sense of control, which is beneficial for mental health and success.
• 🎓 The video encourages viewing stress as a challenge to be dealt with rather than something to be avoided, emphasizing the importance of personal sacrifices for success.
• 🔗 The concept of approach versus avoidance coping can be applied to health psychology topics, such as risk and protective factors for health problems.

Q & A

What are the two general categories of coping strategies discussed in the video?

The two general categories of coping strategies discussed are approach coping and avoidance coping.

Which type of coping is generally regarded as better according to psychological literature?

Approach coping is generally regarded as the better strategy compared to avoidance coping.

What is the technical definition of coping mentioned in the video?

Coping is defined as a person's efforts to manage demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding resources.

What is the relationship between stress and resources as explained in the video?

Stress occurs when the demands exceed the resources a person has available.

What was the finding from the study on IB students regarding stress and mental health?

The study found that higher stress in IB students correlated with poorer mental health and lower life satisfaction.

What factors were found to be associated with higher life satisfaction among IB students?

Positive appraisals and good family communication were associated with higher life satisfaction among IB students.

What does approach coping involve, as described in the video?

Approach coping involves actively dealing with the stressor, which can include time management, reappraisal, seeking family support, academic support, spirituality, and relaxation.

What are some examples of avoidance coping strategies mentioned in the video?

Examples of avoidance coping strategies include skipping school, sleeping or napping instead of doing work, dropping classes, and substance abuse.

What are the outcomes associated with approach coping as per the study discussed in the video?

Approach coping is correlated with higher life satisfaction, lower psychopathology, and less burnout.

What are the outcomes associated with avoidance coping as per the study discussed in the video?

Avoidance coping is correlated with lower GPA, lower exam scores, and higher psychopathology.

Why is approach coping considered more beneficial than avoidance coping?

Approach coping is considered more beneficial because it provides access to more resources, increases one's sense of control over stress, and is associated with better mental health outcomes.

How does the video relate to personal sacrifice and coping with stress?

The video relates personal sacrifice to coping with stress by showing how making small daily sacrifices, like getting up early or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, can lead to better stress management and success.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Coping Strategies

This paragraph introduces the concept of coping strategies, dividing them into two categories: approach and avoidance. It emphasizes that approach coping is generally considered more effective. The narrator explains what coping is, defining it as a person's efforts to manage demands that exceed their resources. Stress is described as occurring when demands outstrip available resources. The paragraph also references a study on IB students, which found that higher stress levels correlated with poorer mental health, but positive appraisals and good family communication were linked to higher life satisfaction. Approach coping is contrasted with avoidance coping, with the former involving active engagement with stressors and the latter involving attempts to avoid them. The paragraph concludes by stating that approach coping is associated with better health outcomes.

05:00

🛠️ The Benefits of Approach Coping

The second paragraph delves into the reasons why approach coping is beneficial. It suggests that approach coping provides access to more resources, which is crucial when demands exceed resources. The paragraph also discusses how approach coping can increase a sense of control over stress, which is most felt when there is a lack of predictability and control. The narrator shares a personal anecdote about managing stress through approach coping strategies, such as time management, reappraisal, seeking support, spirituality, and relaxation. The paragraph also touches on the negative outcomes associated with avoidance coping, such as lower GPA and exam scores, and higher psychopathology. The narrator concludes by encouraging viewers to view stress as a challenge to be dealt with rather than something to be avoided, and suggests that making small daily sacrifices can lead to significant changes in coping with stress.

Keywords

💡Coping

Coping refers to a person's efforts to manage demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding their resources. In the context of the video, coping is a central theme as it discusses how individuals deal with stress. The video explains that stress occurs when demands exceed available resources, and coping strategies are essential to manage these situations effectively.

💡Approach Coping

Approach coping is a strategy where individuals actively deal with stressors. The video emphasizes that this is generally a more effective strategy than avoidance coping. It is exemplified by behaviors such as time management, reappraisal, seeking support, and relaxation. The script highlights that approach coping is correlated with higher life satisfaction and lower psychopathology.

💡Avoidance Coping

Avoidance coping involves efforts to distance oneself from the stressor, such as ignoring, denying, or withdrawing from it. The video contrasts this with approach coping, noting that avoidance is typically less effective and can lead to lower GPA, lower exam scores, and higher psychopathology. Examples from the script include skipping school, sleeping, dropping classes, and substance abuse.

💡Stress

Stress is defined in the video as occurring when the demands on a person exceed their resources. It is a state that can lead to various forms of distress, including financial stress when bills exceed income or academic stress when workload exceeds time and energy. The video uses stress as a basis for discussing the need for effective coping strategies.

💡Resources

Resources in the video are the assets or capabilities available to an individual to manage stress. These can be tangible like money or intangible like time, effort, or cognitive abilities. The video suggests that approach coping is beneficial because it helps individuals access more resources to deal with stress, rather than trying to reduce demands.

💡Appraisal

Appraisal is how individuals perceive or interpret a stressor, whether as a threat or a challenge. The video mentions that positive appraisals and good family communication can lead to higher life satisfaction. It is a cognitive process that influences how individuals cope with stress and can affect their mental health outcomes.

💡Motivation

Motivation, as discussed in the video, is the drive or desire to achieve a goal. It is highlighted that high motivation is negatively correlated with school burnout, meaning that students who are highly motivated tend to experience less burnout. This concept is used to illustrate the importance of motivation in effective coping and resilience.

💡Psychopathology

Psychopathology in the video refers to symptoms of distress or mental disorders. It is used to contrast the outcomes of approach versus avoidance coping strategies, with avoidance coping being positively correlated with psychopathology. The term is significant in understanding the negative impact of certain coping mechanisms on mental health.

💡Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction is a measure of an individual's contentment or happiness with their life. The video discusses how approach coping is correlated with higher life satisfaction, suggesting that actively dealing with stressors can lead to a more satisfying life compared to avoiding them.

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion often caused by prolonged stress. In the video, it is mentioned that approach coping strategies are linked to less burnout, implying that actively managing stress can help prevent the exhaustion and disillusionment associated with burnout.

Highlights

Coping strategies are categorized into approach and avoidance coping, with approach being more effective.

Coping is defined as a person's efforts to manage demands that exceed their resources.

Stress occurs when demands exceed available resources, leading to various forms of stress like financial or academic.

A study in 2008 grouped IB and AP students and found they experienced higher stress levels.

IB students with positive appraisals and good family communication had higher life satisfaction.

High motivation in students was negatively correlated with school burnout.

Approach coping involves actively dealing with stressors, while avoidance coping involves efforts to get away from them.

Approach coping is correlated with fewer health issues and higher life satisfaction.

Avoidance coping is linked to lower GPA, exam scores, and higher psychopathology.

Approach coping provides access to more resources, which is crucial when demands exceed resources.

Approach coping can increase one's sense of control over stressors, reducing stress.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of not avoiding stress but dealing with it as a challenge.

Personal sacrifices, like waking up early, can lead to less stress and more control over demands.

The video discusses how approach coping versus avoidance coping is a key lesson in stress and resilience.

The study on IB and AP students can be used to explain risk and protective factors in health psychology.

Avoidance coping is a risk factor, while approach coping is a protective factor against health problems.

The video concludes by encouraging the use of approach coping strategies for better stress management.

Transcripts

so in this video we're going to look at

a range of

different coping strategies but they're

generally regarded and broken down into

two categories approach verse avoidance

coping and most psychologists would

agree with the literature the studies

point towards approach coping being the

better strategy so we're going to look

at why approach coping is better than

avoidance coping first of all we need to

know what is

coping coping

technical definition a person's efforts

to manage demands that are appraised as

taxing or exceeding resources now

remember stress occurs when the demands

exceed the resources you have available

so you feel financially stressed when

the demands your bills to pay exceed

your resources the money that you have

you might feel academic stress when the

demands the amount of work you have to

do your homework assignments tests and

exceeding the resources you have the

time the effort the energy you have to

prepare for those things even the you

know your cognitive capabilities or your

academic abilities to to achieve in

those

so coping is well how do we manage

those situations when demands exceed

resources so how do we try to deal with

our stress

so if just to recall as a previous video

of explaining this study on ib students

back in 2008 so they grouped ib and ap

students together and they compared them

with other students in high schools and

they looked at their stress levels and

their coping styles well they found ibn

ap students were more stressed ib

ibn ap students watching this would

probably not be surprised by that um

they found that in ib students higher

stress correlated with poorer mental

health lower life satisfaction was one

of the measures they used for that but

ib students with positive appraisals and

good family communication had higher

life satisfaction a positive appraisal

appraisal is how we think of a stressor

right do we think of it as a threat or

as a challenge what are the ways we're

thinking about the

about the things that are stressing us

out that's an appraisal

right and motivation negatively

correlated with school burnout meaning

if you were highly motivated to do well

you had lower rates of school burnout

okay now remember this is correlation or

causation so it could go the other way

now so approach avoidance coping so

approach means actively dealing with the

stressor avoidance means putting all

your efforts to get away from the

stressor so you could be ignoring it

denying it withdrawing from it

completely

so approach coping generally is the more

effective strategy and it's correlated

with fewer health issues we'll look at

some examples of particular approach and

avoidance coping strategies in a moment

and in fact in the study they broke it

down for us and they looked at a

different range so those same

researchers sorrel 10 years later did

another study about coping in ib and ap

students so over 2 000 students in u.s

schools ibn ap and they looked at their

stresses how they cope with it their gpa

exam scores and mental health and here

we have a range of different coping

strategies they measured in the study

approach coping so time management right

if you've got a lot of stresses you've

got a lot of work on right now you've

got to figure out a strategy to manage

your time

colleagues have reappraisal so how are

they appraising thinking about the

stress and then how do they rethink

about it

the use of family support seeking

academic support so if you're looking

for a tutor or asking your teachers for

more help

spirituality and relaxation okay now

avoidance coping skipping school

sleeping i having a nap right you get

home from school instead of doing your

work you might take a nap or you and by

nap right maybe two or three hours

not doing so much school work um

dropping classes or trying to reduce

academic demands in some way

and

substance abuse all right substance use

this is a common avoidance coping so we

can see approach means

taking strategies to actively trying to

deal with the stressor and avoidance

means trying to get away from it now

approach coping correlated with higher

life satisfaction lower psychopathology

mean and in this case that means

symptoms of distress distress is like a

good kind of sound similar to chronic

stress

less burnout and avoidance scoping

correlated with lower gpa lower apn ib

exam scores psych and positively

correlated with psychopathology so from

this ib and ap psychology students we

hopefully take away from this that you

want to be using more approach coping

strategies now here are some reasons why

approach grouping could be beneficial so

stress occurs when demand exceeds

resources right so we need to get that

in our mind so what approach coping can

do

is it provides you access to more

resources

avoidance coping is trying to reduce the

demands right trying to and if and it's

just not an effective strategy because

well think about it if you're trying to

do ib and you're trying to achieve well

or you're doing a course a study and

you've got lots of things stressing you

out

they're stressing you out because

they're important to you because you

want to be successful in them to move

forward so if you try to reduce those

demands drop courses drop classes um

maybe even drop out of school together

well in the long term that's not going

to be good for your mental health it's

not going to be good for um for your

future either right and so you instead

of trying to reduce the demands you want

to get more resources that's key all

right so approach coping can also

increase one sense of control over

stresses so things are most stressful

when we feel like we can't control them

when there's a lack of predictability

and a lack of control so if you can use

an approach giving strategy you can get

a greater sense of control

all right um this is kind of i really

like this short video and i'll try to

remember to link it in the

description

i love how this shows small choices can

add up to big changes when it comes to

coping with stress in life in general

it's a really good three-minute

animation um and i like i would like to

think that i walk the walk not just talk

the talk on this one i have a lot of

work to do i do a lot of different

things i'm a full-time teacher and i

have this youtube and i um i also teach

online and i run a blog and it's there's

a lot and i have three kids and

lots of other things going on

and it's

i can definitely relate to this that

approach coping is better and so this is

it's currently 4 20 a.m while i'm

recording this and because i went to bed

at 9 a.m and i'm trying to eat well and

i try to exercise i try to do a lot of

daily things i've tried to make a lot of

sacrifices to give myself more energy to

cope with the work and the demands that

i have to do to keep on top of things

and ironically i've found the harder i

work the less stressed i am but that

means that i have to make certain

uh sacrifices so i

can't watch tv during the week i have to

be very careful with what i eat and what

i drink so i can wake up at 4am after

eight hours sleep and feel better

anyway so and i just would um urge you

to

um look at stresses as the same way as

they're not things to be avoided that

challenges to be dealt with and

sometimes yes if you want to be

successful it requires personal

sacrifice which is why not everyone will

end up being successful and this is why

i really like this great little choice

short animated movie because it just

shows the little sacrifices you can make

every day to try to keep on top of your

stresses are going to mount up to big

changes

so that's it approach gripping versus

avoidance coping it'd be one of the

biggest lessons i would hope people

would get from studying stress and

resilience and coping is that trying to

adapt as many approach coping strategies

as you can so after this i hope you can

explain how and why approach grouping is

better than avoidance coping and you'd

be able to use that soldo at all study

on ib and ap students to help you now

where this fits in is just generally

quite interesting i think but if you're

studying for the health psychology

option in ib psychology we could use

this for a

risk and protective factors so a risk

factor would be the avoidance coping and

the predictive factor could be the

approach coping explanations of health

problems so we had psychopathology there

and and psychological distress so high

levels of stress you could use this for

uh the explanation of health problems so

if you're using a

avoidance coping strategy that could uh

explain that so i think it can work for

both of those topics

all right now

approach grouping avoidance scoping is

are two general ways that these things

are grouped together but also they're

grouped together by emotion versus

problem focus coping and so these are

two other general categories that have a

lot of overlap with approach and

avoidance and we'll talk about these in

the next lesson and we'll look at what

they are and why

one of them is better than the other

all right thanks for listening this is

the first video i've recorded in my new

office my new quote unquote studio so if

the reverb is a little bad and the sound

quality is not great um i'll i'll get

there i need to do the sounding in the

room anyway right

i hope that was helpful bye