Emotion-Focused Coping

Emotion-focused coping is a type of stress management that attempts to reduce negative emotional responses that occur due to exposure to stressors.

Negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, aggression, depression, humiliation are reduced or removed by the individual by various methods of coping. Emotion-focused coping can be positive or negative. Positive examples include talking or writing about their emotions through therapy or journaling, mindful meditation, or distraction with other activities. Negative examples of emotion-focused coping (that typically are not beneficial or helpful in the long term) are suppression of emotions, avoidance, and alcohol or drug use in order to dull or avoid emotions.