Coping is not numbing feelings. Numbing is actively doing something in an effort to avoid feeling discomfort. Negative coping actions offer only temporary relief, if any. Ignoring or covering up how you feel does not solve the problem, and the next time it happens, you will still have no way of dealing with it.
Examples of negative coping:
- Drugs
- Excessive alcohol
- Self-mutilation
- Ignoring or bottling up feelings
- Taking sedatives
- Taking stimulants
- Over working
- Avoiding your problems
- Denial