Coping Strategies Revisited

Back in January, I noted it was Mental Wellness Month in the United States. It turns out the month of May in the US is Mental Health Awareness Month, with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) being one of its main promoters. Taking my cue from reports about high levels of stress in society today, this blog post focuses on causes of stress as well as some coping strategies. I hope you find it helpful!

In my recent blog post on emergency preparedness, I wrote about some of the many stressful situations people might encounter, including natural disasters, armed conflicts, health crises, and theft. It seems I’m not the only one noticing reasons for stress. Reports about stress abound.

Bryan Robinson, writing for Forbes in February, reported on a study conducted by Moodle that showed “66% of American employees are experiencing some sort of burnout in 2025.” In addition “81% of 18 to 24 year olds and 83% of 25 to 34 year olds [reported] burnout.” But it’s not just Americans feeling the stress. Mental Health UK, reporting in January on a study carried out by YouGov, indicated that 91% of the 4,418 UK adults surveyed “experienced high pressure or stress at some point over the last year.” It seems stress is a global phenomenon. And why not? We’re all human, after all.

It's not weak to speak about mental health. (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)

What are some of the current causes of stress? Kayla Levy, in an article written on behalf of Charlie Health and distributed to the Brookings Register via Stacker in February, called “political polarization” a “significant source of stress for many Americans.” She referred to a study by the American Psychological Association (APA) that “found the future of the nation was the leading cause of significant stress among adults.” That 2024 study by the APA also found “the economy was the second most common…source of stress.” Other stressors noted in the study were “health care, violence and crime, the environment, global tension/conflict, gun laws and regulations, housing costs, mass shootings, the spread of false news, and social divisiveness.”

About a year prior to its 2024 report, in its “Stress in America 2023” report, the APA found another significant source of stress: “collective trauma” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. That report noted that “psychologists with APA say a superficial characterization of day-to-day life being more normal is obscuring the posttraumatic effects that have altered our mental and physical health.” The report also noted that “widespread trauma has not been limited to the pandemic. Global conflict, racism and racial injustice, inflation, and climate-related disasters are all weighing on the collective consciousness of Americans.”

Whew! That’s a lot of stress! So what are we supposed to do about it? For that, I’d like to return to a post I wrote early in the COVID-19 pandemic: Coping with COVID-19. In it, I provided a list of coping strategies offered by the AFSP along with some reflections on how I was applying those strategies at that time. I updated that post when I wrote Overloading on Negativity. I’d like to update those reflections again now given the change in circumstances.

1- Separate what is in your control from what is not.

The first time I wrote about determining what I could control in a stressful time, I focused on actions I was taking that seemed in my control in the midst of a pandemic I had little control over. I mentioned not being able to control advice about masking, whether people were practicing social distancing, and the number of deaths occurring. Actions I could control included meeting work and volunteer deadlines, teaching my mother to grocery shop online, finding patterns for homemade face masks, and putting a teddy bear in the window as a sign of comfort and cheer.

Now, I find myself feeling stressed by current events such as wars, deportations, mass firings, cybersecurity lapses, and the like. Educating myself about these events is one proactive action I take to try to deal with the stress of uncontrollable things. Twice every day, I read the news from NPR, UPI (United Press International), Reuters, and the AP (Associated Press) to keep abreast of what’s happening. I find if I check on the news more often than that, it increases my stress. Checking twice daily keeps my stress in check because it helps me keep knowledgeable about what’s happening and lets me know if there are any new situations arising that I should take action to control in my life.

For example, when I first heard about potential cybersecurity lapses surrounding bank account information that taxpayers had submitted to the US Department of the Treasury when they paid taxes, I set up alerts through my bank to let me know when any activity occurs in any of my accounts. That way, if any unauthorized activity takes place, I’ll know about it within 24 hours. Although I can’t control access to my personal data from taking place, I can take action to mitigate its possibly negative effects.

As I wrote in my blog post about coping with COVID-19, “Thinking about all the things I can’t control can become overwhelming, but focusing on what I can control makes me feel better. It reminds me I’m doing the best I can do, which is all anyone can do. What are the things you can control these days?”


2- Do what helps you feel a sense of safety.

The first time I wrote about finding a sense of safety in the midst of a stressful time, the US was just emerging from its strictest lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I wrote about observing people not complying with recommendations to avoid being around others, and I recounted my own efforts to do the opposite. I wrote about shopping online instead of in-person and masking whenever entering a public building.

Now I find myself in the midst of continuing concerns about the risks of COVID-19, especially Long COVID. I know someone whose stepmother recently died of COVID-19, and I also know someone who is dealing with Long COVID’s brain fog and fatigue. It’s certainly an impactful condition. When I feel fear about contracting Long COVID, a disease I can’t control, I remind myself of actions I can take to try to avoid it, such as these suggested by the Cleveland Clinic:

• getting vaccinated against COVID-19,
• washing my hands (or using hand sanitizer) frequently,
• masking in places that carry higher risks,
• limiting unnecessary exposure to other people who might be sick, and
• taking appropriate antiviral medication should I contract COVID-19.

Thankfully, according to the Cleveland Clinic, Long COVID is fairly uncommon, affecting only up to 10% of people who come down with COVID-19. I take some comfort in that knowledge. I also gain a sense of safety in the awareness that I’m taking the recommended actions to avoid Long COVID, even though others may be letting such actions fall by the wayside.

The point I want to make in this regard is the same point I made in my first post on this topic: “If the crowd is doing something that makes you feel unsafe, do something different.” And I’ll ask you the same question I asked before: “What is helping you feel safe these days?”

2- Get outside in nature.

Both times I wrote about this coping strategy previously, I mentioned taking walks in my neighborhood and watching nature through the window thanks to my birding hobby. Since then, more research has emerged attesting to the benefits of spending time communing with nature. Caroline Gable, writing for NU Sci Magazine, reported on the health benefits of what’s called “forest bathing.” Similarly, a group of authors writing in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health noted a rise in interest in what they called “nature prescription programs,” in which spending time in nature is given as a prescription for ailments instead of or in addition to medication.

As for my current efforts to spend time with nature, I’ve continued with my bird watching hobby, even finding out I share the hobby with the famous author Amy Tan. I frequently grab a pair of binoculars to look through the window to see what bird it is that’s singing so beautifully out in the yard. Another way I spend time with nature is that when I read a book or a magazine, I often do so in a room with lots of windows where I can sneak a peek outside when I reach the end of a chapter or an article. Even when I’m not looking outside, just being surrounded by natural light as I read feels refreshing. With pollen season finally winding down, I hope to spend more time outside soon. Taking my book or magazine out to the patio and feeling the outdoor air while I read is certainly rejuvenating. How do you connect with nature on a regular basis?

3- Challenge yourself to stay in the present.

The first time I wrote about this coping strategy, I admitted it was challenging for me. It can be hard to stay in the present—acting on things you can control, doing what makes you feel safe, and appreciating nature—when you’re surrounded by situations with unknown outcomes. As I noted then, “not having answers creates uncertainty, which in many people, myself included, can cause stress.”

In that previous post, I listed several fun activities that can help with staying focused on the present:

• Reading books
• Listening to music
• Dancing
• Doing crossword puzzles
• Playing Sudoku
• Completing word searches
• Putting together jigsaw puzzles
• Playing board games
• Playing card games
• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Sewing
• Woodworking
• Coloring
• Painting

In my second post on coping strategies, I mentioned I was reading, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and watching TV. I still do several of those activities regularly. I play a variety of games on my cell phone: solitaire, mahjong, dominoes, and crosswords. I do hard copy crossword puzzles and other word games as well. I also love reading books, as my blog has frequently attested, and I subscribe to and read several magazines regularly.

Other activities on my current list of ways to stay in the present include deep breathing (which I addressed in my second post on coping strategies as being helpful because it was something I could control), getting up to move several times a day, and streaming documentaries or other movies. One documentary I enjoyed was called Journey of the Bonesetter’s Daughter. It focused on Amy Tan’s semi-autobiographical novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter and the process of producing an adaptation of it as an opera. As I noted when reflecting on getting out in nature in #2 in this post, I recently discovered Amy Tan and I share a love of birding, so that’s one element that drew me to the documentary. And I’ve read all of her novels, making the documentary even more enticing.

I have a long enough list of movies queued up to keep me living in the present for a while! What activities do you enjoy that help you stay in the present, escaping for a little while from stressful situations with uncertain outcomes?

5- Stay connected and reach out if you need more support.

The first time I wrote about this strategy, I mentioned staying connected with people through social media. These days, I’m actually trying to reduce my use of social media. I may have taken this way of staying connected too far, as I found myself turning to social media, particularly Facebook, more and more often to find a sense of connectedness. As explained in an article in the BBC’s Science Focus magazine, social media can be addicting, and I wanted to avoid falling into that trap, so I’ve reduced my time spent there.

Instead, I’m using another technique for connectedness that I mentioned both previous times I wrote about this strategy, which is texting. And I’m using the Facebook and LinkedIn messaging features to communicate with friends and family members that way, although I prefer texting whenever possible. As I mentioned in my second post on coping strategies, I’ve also done video calls with a few friends, and my friend Algernon and I still exchange letters via snail mail. Groups I volunteer with meet via video on a frequent basis as well, and I’ve had a few phone calls with friends, also. As I mentioned in my second post on coping, I’m still writing this blog, too, as a way of staying connected with you, my readers.

As for reaching out for support, I’ve added that to my actions. Lately I’ve been having appointments with a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC) for some help in dealing with stress. Where I live, the LCMHC credential is common. As listed by Verywell Mind, others you may notice where you live include PsyD, LPC, or LCSW, to name a few.

If you feel you could benefit from a professional perspective, I encourage you to reach out to a counselor or therapist. As with physical health, self-help techniques only go so far when it comes to mental health. If your efforts to maintain a healthy mental state don’t seem to be enough, reach out for assistance. Just as you would see your doctor if you had a sore throat that wouldn’t go away, I encourage you to seek professional assistance if you feel you’d like help managing high levels of stress.

Some places where you can find assistance include the AFSP and PsychHub, which I mentioned the first time I wrote about this coping strategy. Resources are also available through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, also known as NAMI, or, if you’re in a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988, which I’ve written about before. If you’re interested in what experts in leadership and mental health have to say about coping with stress, you might check out this webinar on mental health during difficult times.

I hope you find this update on stress and coping strategies helpful. Let me know if you think of other coping strategies I haven’t mentioned!