181208_Training-Module_interactive

LEARNING TO COPE
An important way of empowering people affected by crisis is the acknowledgement and reinforcement of
positive individual (and where possible collective) coping mechanisms. Coping is the process of adapting
to a new life situation – managing difficult circumstances, making an effort to solve problems or seeking to
minimise, reduce or tolerate stress or conflict.
IN GENERAL, COPING CAN BE SEEN AS SUCCESSFUL AND POSITIVE IF IT HELPS PEOPLE IN THE PROCESS OF:
• Admitting that something distressing has happened
• Finding a good balance between feelings and thoughts/knowledge about the incident
• Expressing feelings and thoughts
• Seeking support and connecting to (significant) others
• Finding an appropriate language to think and talk about the events
• Integrating the experiences into one’s life story
• Active problem-solving
• Eventually coming to terms with what has happened and looking to the future
Individuals and communities may also have negative coping mechanisms. It is important to always
acknowledge and respect coping strategies as a way of trying to survive, even when they are negative. In
these cases, additional professional help is needed and the role of the psychosocial facilitator is to support
individuals to connect to their own strengths and resources and to support the use of other, more positive
coping mechanisms.
EXAMPLES OF NEGATIVE COPING MECHANISMS INCLUDE:
• Aggressive or harmful behaviour towards self and others
• Taking up smoking, drug use or excessive drinking
• Isolation or avoidance behaviour (avoidance in this context would mean avoiding doing things or going
places that may cause anxiety or be a reminder of an experience)
• A shattered world view or a belief that “all is lost” and reactions of despair, futility and hopeless
resignation
Recovery takes time. Intense negative feelings are common after someone experiences an extremely
distressing event. Loss, distress and negative emotions caused by critical events can sometimes prevent or
slow the process of recovery. And coping is mostly about regaining the ability to manage difficult feelings,
and gradually being able to control them, not about making them suddenly disappear. Optimism, feelings
of confidence, and positive expectations can be highly empowering in the aftermath of crisis and are strong
predictors of resilience and successful coping mechanisms.
3.3.2. COPING AND RESILIENCE
THROUGH PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
Recovery from trauma is mostly built on the processes of coping and resilience. Coping is thereby a broad
term that refers to anything people do to adjust to the challenges and demands of stress.
Different individuals have their own ways of coping with problems. Part of the suite of coping skills is the
ability to express one’s feelings, thoughts and beliefs. If the painful feelings are expressed, the person can
recover and heal. Most people affected by disasters recover to normal functioning without any intervention
and this is believed to be influenced by an individual’s coping mechanisms and resilience.
Resilience can be described as an inner strength, responsiveness and flexibility that some individuals have
more of than others, that either enables them to withstand stress and trauma completely, or helps them
to be able to recover to a healthy level of functioning more quickly after a traumatic event. It is important,
though, to understand how resilience might be promoted in people through psychosocial support and via
participation in a sports programme.
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