When a character suffers emotional pain, the brain’s response is to stop the discomfort, and often this results in a coping mechanism being deployed. Whether it’s an automatic response or a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it.
But if the character develops an unhealthy reliance on that mechanism, problems will arise. Long-term, certain coping behaviors will impair their connections with others, their ability to achieve goals and dreams, and their ability to handle life’s pressures.
At some point, they must have an Aha! moment where they realize their coping method is holding them back and seek other ways to deal with stress. Namely, they’ll have to adopt healthier mechanisms that enable them to manage difficulties and ultimately have a happier future.
To help you write your character’s growth (or regression) journey, we’ve created The Coping Mechanism Thesaurus, which contains a range of coping mechanisms. The one we’re highlighting today can help your character better manage painful emotions and stress. Use this partial entry to show readers the character is choosing more productive strategies that will build resilience.
Anticipation
Definition
Mentally preparing for future challenges to reduce anxiety
What It May Look Like
Valuing efficiency
Visualizing a successful end result to boost feelings of competency and excitement
Asking a lot of questions when asked to commit to something
Needing time to consider before agreeing to a future engagement
Relying heavily on calendars, lists, and other tools
Internal Struggles
Wanting to be able to anticipate every possible scenario but knowing that’s impossible
Feeling rigid or overly structured
Wishing everyone would plan ahead like the character, then feeling intolerant and judgmental
Needing to look ahead to head off potential problems but wanting to be able to relax and taking things as they come
Challenges That Will Test the Character
New responsibilities being added while the character is trying to manage a future challenge
A child needing something from the character at the last minute
Being paired with a coworker who procrastinates or is disorganized
Working in an environment where spontaneity is common and valued
Basic Human Needs It Could Fill
Self-Actualization: If the character has been ignoring certain dreams or goals because they’re too overwhelming to consider, this coping mechanism can give them the tools to make them achievable.
Esteem and Recognition: A character who is easily overwhelmed by events that don’t bother others may feel incapable and doubt themselves. By anticipating future stressors in advance, they will regain their sense of competence and confidence.
To help you brainstorm your character’s responses to stress, visit our master list of healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Need More Descriptive Help?
While this thesaurus is still being developed and expanded, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.
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Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
What’s really fun is when people anticipate and pre-plan so much they get anxious, and that anxiety leads to an actual mood disorder and potentially panic attacks. Good fodder for some sort of retelling of The Odd Couple.
It’s interesting how even positive coping techniques can become dysfunctional when they’re taken to an extreme.