Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms: What They Are & How to Stop Using Them

What Are Coping Mechanisms?

Coping mechanisms are strategies or behaviors that individuals use to manage stress, anxiety, or difficult emotions. Coping mechanisms can be conscious or unconscious and can vary in effectiveness. Coping mechanisms work by helping individuals regulate their emotions and reduce the negative impact of stressors on their mental and physical health.

There are two types of coping mechanisms:

• Adaptive coping mechanisms: These are healthy and effective ways of dealing with stress, such as seeking social support, practicing mindfulness, or engaging in physical activity. Individuals who use adaptive coping mechanisms have better mental and physical health outcomes.¹
• Maladaptive coping mechanisms: These are unhealthy and ineffective ways of dealing with stress, such as substance use, avoidance, or self-harm. These coping mechanisms can lead to negative consequences and worsen mental and physical health outcomes.²

What Are the Types of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms?

Unhealthy coping mechanisms can be divided into two categories: unhealthy problem-focused coping mechanisms and unhealthy emotion-focused coping mechanisms, a distinction rooted in Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman’s model of stress and coping. Both forms involve attempts to address the source of stress in ways that are ultimately ineffective or harmful.

Problem-Focused

Problem-focused coping involves focusing on and actively changing the root cause of a problem. Unhealthy problem-focused coping mechanisms involve maladaptive attempts to address the source of stress, which can lead to further negative outcomes.

Examples of unhealthy problem-focused coping mechanisms include:

• Avoidance: Avoidance or denying the source of stress, which can lead to increased anxiety and difficulty managing emotions. Research on trauma-exposed adults shows that avoidance coping predicts more severe PTSD and depressive symptoms, while approach-oriented coping predicts better outcomes.¹⁰
• Aggression: Reacting to stress with anger or hostility, which can damage relationships and lead to further stress. Studies have found that aggressive coping is associated with increased physical health problems and decreased psychological well-being.¹¹
• Substance use: Using drugs or alcohol to cope with stress, which can lead to substance use disorder or alcohol addiction. Longitudinal research shows that drinking or using drugs to cope with negative emotions prospectively predicts alcohol problems and a higher likelihood of developing a substance use disorder.¹²
• Overworking: Workaholism in an attempt to avoid or distract from stress, which can lead to burnout and other negative health outcomes. Studies have found that workaholic coping increases stress, anxiety, and depression.¹³
• Perfectionism: Setting impossibly high standards for oneself to control stress, which can lead to anxiety and self-criticism. Research has shown that perfectionistic coping is associated with increased stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as decreased life satisfaction.¹⁴

Emotion-Focused

Unhealthy emotion-focused coping mechanisms are strategies people use to manage the emotional impact of stress without addressing the underlying problem. These coping strategies can be ineffective or harmful in the long term, leading to negative outcomes.

Examples of unhealthy emotion-focused coping mechanisms include:

• Dissociation: Dissociation is a coping mechanism that involves detaching from one’s thoughts, feelings, or surroundings to avoid emotional distress. Dissociation has been associated with increased anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.^15,16,17
• Suppression: Suppressing or hiding emotions in response to stress, which can lead to increased anxiety and difficulty managing emotions. Research has shown that emotional suppression coping is associated with increased physiological stress responses and poorer mental health outcomes.^18,19
• Denial: Refusing to acknowledge or accept the reality of a stressful situation, which can lead to increased anxiety and difficulty managing emotions. Denial coping has been associated with increased psychological distress and poorer mental health outcomes.^20,21
• Rumination: Dwelling on negative thoughts or emotions without taking action to address them, which can lead to increased anxiety and depression. Rumination coping has been linked to an increased risk of mental health problems and decreased psychological well-being.²²

Is Doomscrolling an Unhealthy Coping Mechanism?

Doomscrolling, the compulsive scrolling through negative news and social media content, functions as an unhealthy coping mechanism for many people. Like other forms of avoidance, it offers a feeling of control or preparedness in the moment while actually increasing distress. Research links habitual doomscrolling to higher anxiety, lower mood, and poorer well-being, which makes it worth treating with the same seriousness as older coping habits like rumination or emotional eating.

A 2024 study led by Reza Shabahang at Monash University, published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports, surveyed 800 university students in the United States and Iran and found that doomscrolling was associated with elevated existential anxiety, and, in the Iranian sample, with greater misanthropy, or distrust and dislike of other people. The researchers connected these effects to media-induced trauma frameworks: a constant stream of catastrophic content can erode a person’s sense that the world is safe and predictable. This fits the broader picture from the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America survey, in which more than 7 in 10 U.S. adults named the future of the nation (77%) and the economy (73%) as significant stressors in 2024, the exact content that dominates negative news feeds.

If scrolling leaves you more anxious than informed, the same strategies in this article apply: identify the trigger (boredom, worry, bedtime), set concrete limits such as app timers or phone-free hours, and replace the scroll with an active coping strategy like movement, mindfulness, or talking to someone you trust.

The table below compares common unhealthy coping mechanisms, the short-term payoff that keeps them going, their long-term cost, and a healthier swap to try instead:

Why Do People Develop Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms?

People develop unhealthy coping mechanisms because these behaviors reliably deliver short-term relief from overwhelming emotions. Factors such as childhood experiences, trauma, and genetics can also play a role in developing unhealthy coping mechanisms. Mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can also contribute to the development of unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Life circumstances such as financial stress, relationship problems, and work-related stress can also lead individuals to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. These circumstances can create a sense of helplessness and may lead individuals to turn to substances, self-harm, or other maladaptive coping mechanisms to cope.

It’s important to note that while unhealthy coping mechanisms may provide temporary relief, they often lead to negative consequences and can worsen mental health outcomes. Seeking support from a mental health professional can help individuals develop healthier coping mechanisms.

How Do You Stop Using Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms?

You can stop using unhealthy coping mechanisms by identifying your triggers, building support, and practicing healthier replacements until they become the new habit. These twelve strategies work best in combination.

Here are twelve strategies to stop using unhealthy coping mechanisms:

1. Identify Triggers

Identifying triggers is an important step in developing healthier coping strategies. By recognizing the situations or emotions that lead to the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms, individuals can learn to anticipate and manage these triggers more effectively. Understanding the situations or emotions that trigger the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms can help individuals develop alternative strategies.

2. Seek Support

Talking to a trusted friend or family member can provide emotional support, perspective, and guidance in exploring alternative coping mechanisms. Additionally, seeking support from a mental health professional can provide specialized guidance and resources for managing stress and developing healthy coping habits. By seeking support, individuals can build a network of resources that can help them manage stress and improve their overall well-being.⁶

3. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged in the current moment without judgment. By focusing on the present moment, individuals can develop greater self-awareness, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Mindfulness can help stop the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms by providing a healthy outlet for difficult emotions and reducing the likelihood of impulsive behavior.

Research has shown that mindfulness-based interventions can be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as improving overall well-being.³ Some types of mindfulness practices that individuals can try including mindful breathing, body scan meditation, mindful movement, and mindful eating. By incorporating mindfulness practices into their daily routine, individuals can develop healthier coping mechanisms and improve their overall mental health.

4. Engage in Physical Activity

Regular exercise can reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and increase overall feelings of well-being. Exercise provides a healthy outlet for difficult emotions, allowing individuals to release negative energy and tension positively and productively. By incorporating regular physical activity into their routine, individuals can improve their physical and mental health and build resilience in the face of stress.

5. Develop a Self-Care Routine

Prioritizing self-care activities such as getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and engaging in enjoyable hobbies can help individuals feel more energized, focused, and resilient in the face of stress. Self-care activities can provide a sense of control and agency in managing stress, improving overall feelings of well-being, and reducing stress’s impact on mental health.⁵ By making self-care a priority, individuals can build a foundation for long-term health and resilience.

6. Start Therapy

Starting therapy can be an effective way to address and stop using unhealthy coping mechanisms. Therapy provides a safe and supportive environment to explore and understand the underlying issues that contribute to the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms. Through therapy, individuals can learn new coping strategies and develop healthier ways of managing difficult emotions and situations.

Therapy can also provide a space to process and heal from past traumas or experiences that may be contributing to the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms. With the guidance and support of a therapist, individuals can work towards breaking free from these patterns and improving their overall mental health and well-being.

7. Use Positive Affirmations

Using positive affirmations is another effective strategy for managing stress and improving mental health. Repeating positive affirmations can help individuals shift their mindset and develop a more positive outlook, which can improve overall feelings of well-being. Positive affirmations can be tailored to individual needs and goals and can be repeated throughout the day as a way of reinforcing positive beliefs and reducing the impact of negative thoughts and emotions.

8. Set Achievable Goals

By setting small, achievable goals, individuals can build confidence in their ability to cope with difficult situations and overcome challenges.⁸ Accomplishing these goals can provide a sense of accomplishment and improve overall feelings of well-being, which can help individuals better manage stress and build resilience over time.

9. Identify & Challenge Negative Self-Talk

Identifying and challenging negative self-talk is an important part of developing healthier coping mechanisms. Negative self-talk is a type of unhealthy coping mechanism that is connected to perfectionism and rumination. It can also contribute to feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, which can lead to the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms. By becoming aware of negative self-talk and challenging these thoughts, individuals can develop a more positive self-image. This can involve questioning the validity of negative thoughts, reframing them in a more positive light, or replacing them with more positive affirmations.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that focuses on identifying and changing negative patterns of thinking and behavior. CBT techniques such as reframing negative thoughts and challenging irrational beliefs can help individuals develop healthier coping mechanisms and improve their overall well-being.⁷ This ties back to identifying your triggers and knowing how to navigate them.

10. Connect With Nature

Spending time in nature can improve overall well-being and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.⁴ Exposure to natural environments has been shown to reduce stress levels and improve mood, and can provide a sense of calm and relaxation. Activities such as hiking, gardening, or simply spending time in a park or natural setting can provide a healthy outlet for difficult emotions and improve overall feelings of well-being.

11. Practice Gratitude

By focusing on the positive aspects of life, individuals can improve their overall well-being and reduce symptoms of depression.⁹ Activities such as writing down things one is thankful for or expressing gratitude to others can help individuals develop a more positive outlook and improve their relationships with others. Gratitude can also provide a sense of perspective and help individuals recognize the good things in their life, even during difficult times.

12. Celebrate Progress

No matter how small, progress towards healthier coping mechanisms should be acknowledged and celebrated. Celebrating progress can provide motivation to continue using healthier coping mechanisms and reinforce positive habits. By recognizing progress and celebrating successes, individuals increase their resilience in the face of stress.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

A licensed therapist is the most reliable way to address entrenched unhealthy coping mechanisms. To begin therapy, search online therapist directories or therapy platforms for a therapist who specializes in your specific needs. Read therapist bios and reviews, check their credentials, and schedule a consultation to ensure a good fit before committing to ongoing sessions.

In My Experience

Coping with unhealthy coping mechanisms can be a difficult and overwhelming process. The strategies outlined in the article, such as developing a self-care routine, practicing mindfulness, and seeking support, can be effective in managing difficult emotions and improving overall well-being. Seeking professional support, either in-person or online, can also be a valuable tool in developing healthy coping mechanisms and addressing underlying issues.

Overall, I believe that with the right support and strategies, individuals can develop healthy coping mechanisms and improve their mental health and overall well-being. It takes time and effort, but it is possible to overcome unhealthy coping mechanisms and lead a fulfilling life.