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.
Celebrating Small Achievements
Definition
Recognizing progress and boosting motivation by marking milestones—however small—with intentional acknowledgment or reward
What It May Look Like
Treating themselves to something small after completing a difficult task
Using a physical token as a reminder of success (placing a stone where a battle was won, adding a charm to a bracelet, etc.)
Publicly acknowledging allies who contributed to a win
Pausing to notice how far they’ve come since the beginning
Comparing their current self to who they were at the start
Internal Struggles
An inner critic drowning out any praise
Feeling overwhelmed by how far they still have to go
Past failures making them feel undeserving of praise
Challenges That Will Test the Character
A critical loved one diminishing the character’s win
Lacking time, money, or means to celebrate
Learning their win came at someone else’s cost
Basic Human Needs It Could Fill
Self-Actualization: Recognizing incremental progress reinforces that the character is growing into the person they want to become.
Safety and Security: Tracking progress keeps the character’s focus on the positive rather than negatives and bolsters their mental health instead of undermining it. It also creates a sense of stability through evidence that their efforts are working.
For help brainstorming your character’s responses to stress, see 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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