We all have different types of coping mechanisms in life, and they can be factual, logical, or emotional. Reality can be harsh. The distinction between what is real and what is unreal can be difficult to accept, and sometimes we never fully accept it.
For example, receiving a stage 5 cancer diagnosis can be frightening and difficult to accept. Why? It is a terminal condition, and being told you will probably die in 6 months is surreal: you go from pain to sadness, disbelief, anger, and finally denial.
When you finally accept it, the coping mechanism begins. Quotes serve as partial coping mechanisms and that's why people hold onto them in periods of confusion and trials
So this person (with a terminal condition) begins to reflect on their lives, looking for peaceful moments to cherish.
If they are at least 50 years old, they will feel some appreciation for having reached that age; after all, people as young as 15 or 20 can develop cancer, be hit by drunk drivers, and fall asleep and never wake up.
Thoughts like these are positive coping mechanisms; they help people find peace in the midst of chaos, even if this peace is not logically real.
"Why does life have to be so cruel to me, when there are 8 billion other people?"
People ask questions like this when they can not explain what is going on with them; when unbelievable and illogical things happen to ordinary people, they begin to wonder why it has to be them, but why should not it be them?
Is there some sort of immunity they possess that protects them from the uncertainties of life? No. It is just that when things are going well, people do not expect them to suddenly turn bad, which is where they are wrong.
However, these feelings can change due to our incredible adaptability.
People can go from "but why me?" to "oh thank God it is not worse than this," demonstrating the incredible ability to develop coping skills and mechanisms for adaptability.
Positive, as well as negative
Cope mechanisms can also be negative; they can stem from frustration, greed, pain, jealousy, and envy, though these mechanisms are sometimes understandable, particularly when people are unable to explain or accept that they are not doing enough to improve their situations.
Poor people can be envious of those in better financial situations than them, and they frequently try to attribute their success to luck or something else.
Luck is not lottery
True, people can be lucky in life, but we must recognize that not all "luck" is undeserved.
The term "luck" makes hardworking people appear underserved; however, luck is more than just walking down the street and finding a million-dollar check on the ground; luck is more about putting in the right effort in the right places and being rewarded far beyond your efforts or expectations. So that is the difference.
Luck does not imply a lack of effort, although some people interpret it as such.
I try not to see wealthy people as unjustly fortunate. They worked for their bag, and it may seem unfair to see that they put in little effort and received a larger payoff, but they worked hard to get to that compounding state. It is easy to say,
"Oh, they are rich because they were fortunate to have made money when life was not competitive." While this statement may be true, we must recognize that life provides equal opportunities at various stages of life.
Although the statement above is more of a coping mechanism, sometimes people just throw it around because they are frustrated and need a reason why they are not performing as well as they should.
Life cannot answer all of our questions.
In fact, we would all leave this life with more questions than answers, and this is true for all humans.
There will be no logical answers to some of our logical questions, and this is because we fail to recognize that life itself may not be completely logical; some of our unanswered questions are proof of this.
Coping mechanisms are excellent life strategies; they can sometimes teach us the patience or appreciation we require.
Many people do not understand the complexities of life until they find themselves in situations where they must find ways to accept whatever happens to them, as well as methods to cope with it.
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