REAL COPING SKILLS

As a result of my years of work and experience as a mental health recovery specialist and minister, I felt that effective coping skills needed to be more than just changing one's  mental focus to enable them to manage their emotional/psychological drama.

Many people use a variety of unhealthy coping skills that enable them to "tread water" until;

• the flood of their emotional crisis subsides,
• someone comes along and pulls them out to safety,
• or until they succumb to the exhaustion of treading water for so long.

Their ability to cope is measured by how long they can continue to "keep their head above water".

For most of my life, my coping skills were just as flawed.

My default was to go into what I call my "Crisis Mode". Crisis Mode is the act of making myself emotionally numb.

This was supposed to insulate me from having to experince hurt or distress.

If I cant feel it, it can't hurt me.

The problem with this strategy was that the emotions eventually burned through my insulation. They leaked or exploded all around me, hurting not only myself, but my marriage and family relationships.

I've since learned that I had to master the biblical coping skills that Father devised.

Prayer with, and to Him

It's through my communion with the Father, and honestly sharing my hurts and cares with Him, that enables me to;

• Adapt to circumstances I cant control.
• Allow Him to take me "through" my emotional experiences instead of avoiding them.
• Overcome negative emotional reactions.
• Use them to promote my spiritual growth and development. 

Philippians 4:6-7 MSG
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.