While it may not solve a problem directly, emotion-focused coping can equip you to address it. Some ways you can practice emotion-focused coping include meditating, journaling, and reframing.
There are two distinct coping strategies:
Emotion-focused coping skills help you process and work through unwanted or painful emotions and reactions.
This approach won’t help you solve a problem directly, but you may feel somewhat better about what’s happening — or more equipped to handle it. This is also an effective approach when there is no clear solution to a problem.
A 2024 review of studies found that coping through an emotional approach was associated with better mental and physical health.
Meditation helps you learn to acknowledge and sit with all of your thoughts and experiences, even the difficult ones. There are many different types of meditation, so you can find one that is right for you.
You can practice meditation anytime, anywhere, and it won’t cost you anything. It may feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable at first. But if you are consistent, you are more likely to see and feel the benefits.
How to meditate
- Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable place.
- Calm your mind. This is easier said than done. You may consider focusing on your breathing, or become aware of the way your body feels.
- Let your thoughts pass by without judging them or analyzing them.
Sometimes, writing down your feelings is the first step in working through them. You might eventually find that journaling offers a type of emotional catharsis, as you remove them from your mind and transfer them into your journal.
To get the most out of journaling, try:
- writing every day, even if you only have 5 minutes
- writing whatever comes to mind — don’t worry about editing or censoring yourself
- keeping track of any mood or emotional changes you experience and any factors that might be contributing to the pattern, whether that’s your exercise routine, certain foods, or particular relationships
Optimism won’t solve problems alone, but it can boost your emotional wellness.
To add more positive thinking to your life, try:
- building yourself up with positive self-talk instead of talking down to yourself
- recognizing your successes instead of focusing on “failures”
- laughing off mistakes
- remembering that everyone is more focused on themselves than on you
- reminding yourself you can always try again
Initially, these might feel unnatural to you. That’s OK. With a bit of practice, they’ll start to feel more natural.
It’s important to understand that optimistic or positive thinking does not involve ignoring your problems. It’s about giving challenges a positive spin and finding pockets of joy to help you get through them.
It’s easy to focus on feelings of injustice or unfairness when someone wrongs you or does something unkind.
Forgiveness can help you let go of hurt and begin healing from it. Keep in mind that it can take some time to come to terms with your pain before you feel able to forgive.
Practicing forgiveness can benefit your emotional wellness in a number of ways. You may notice:
- reduced stress and anger
- increased compassion
- greater empathy
- stronger interpersonal relationships
When you reframe a situation, you look at it from another perspective. This can help you consider the bigger picture instead of getting stuck on little details.
For example, say your relationship has been struggling over the past few months because you and your partner haven’t had much time to do things together or communicate about problems.
Suddenly, you lose your job and find that you’re now spending lotsof time at home.
Instead of letting frustration and boredom build up, you can look at the bright side of the situation: You now have plenty of time to reconnect with your partner and strengthen your relationship.
Bottling up negative emotions can affect your health. A 2021 study found that emotional suppression was associated with emotional eating, which led to increased BMI.
It’s generally a good idea to talk about your feelings to any others involved in the situation. They may not even realize they had an impact on you unless you tell them.
Communicating your difficulties won’t always resolve them, but if an approach to resolution does exist, you’re more likely to discover it together.
Talking about your emotions to a trusted loved one can also help you feel better, especially when there’s no good solution to your problem. Friends and family can provide social and emotional support by listening with empathy and validating your feelings.
Some serious concerns can cause a lot of distress. You may be going through a breakup, facing a health concern, or dealing with grief.
There’s not much you can do to change these circumstances, and dealing with the painful emotions that come up on your own can be hard.
A trusted mental health professional can help you manage emotional distress by offering guidance on any of the emotion-focused coping strategies above. They can also provide support that’s more specifically tailored to your situation.
While it doesn’t help you solve a problem directly, emotion-focused coping can help you feel equipped to approach it. Coping through an emotional approach is associated with improved mental and physical health.
Some ways you can practice emotion-focused coping are meditating, journaling, and reframing. While these practices may feel uncomfortable at first, over time, they can start to feel more natural.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
