Coping recap

We have reached the end of our ‘Torches’ month, dedicated to coping.⁣
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The metaphor with torches is a fitting one because it explains the dual nature of coping: torches help us see in the dark but also help us avoid it.⁣
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In the first part of the month we highlighted the main forms of coping and what they can be good for: trivial situations might require a concrete plan, uncontrollable ones might call for soothing our emotions, life-changing ones may be an occasion to find a new narration, and so on…⁣
Knowing how to cope is an essential survival skill, but also a facilitator of connection: it helps us move between states of protection and socialisation according to the circumstances.⁣
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But Empatherapy values a complexity that requires us to look at concepts more critically. This allowed us to see how coping can also have its downsides. It can prevent us from having an insightful life, when it implies blindly moving forward and just functioning, without asking ‘why’. Coping can become an automatic process of adaptation that deprives life of its meaning and us of awareness.⁣
We also cope by replacing our needs with others, without realising, and this creates secondary issues and estranges us from our true selves.⁣
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So, coping is ultimately about recognising whether or not to cope, how to do so, and being mindful about what things in our life are a form of coping towards something we don’t want to handle or look at. And, hopefully, find the strength to do so.⁣
Without a torch you will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.⁣
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