When experiencing emotional discomfort, sometimes a person is ready to do anything to remove or reduce it. However, some actions that bring temporary relief may only make the problem worse in the long run. Very often a person is not aware of exactly what patterns of behavior he has that reinforce his problem, instead of solving it. Most people don't know how to help themselves cope with problems such as depression or anxiety. Therefore, first you need to identify what you should not do. The first step to identifying ineffective strategies for dealing with problems is to determine which of your actions actually do not help you cope with the problem, but, on the contrary, make the situation worse. Here are examples of what are commonly called destructive (maladaptive) strategies: You avoid situations that frighten you or make you anxious. You use alcohol or drugs to numb uncomfortable emotions. You put off important problems and tasks that seem unpleasant to you. You worry. Many people think that being anxious and worried about potential negative events in advance will either prevent such events from happening or will help them be alert and cope with the situation if such an event does occur. But this approach only seems to be a way to solve or prevent future problems. In fact, this strategy itself is a problem because it triggers and reinforces anxiety. You follow certain rituals. People with anxiety-related emotional disorders (such as obsessive-compulsive disorder) often perform everyday activities—such as getting dressed or washing their hands—only according to very strict self-imposed routines. They are afraid that if they deviate even one step from this routine, something bad will certainly happen - to themselves or to the people around them. If the ritual is broken for some reason, such a person feels severe anxiety and often forces himself to start the whole ritual over again. People with such emotional disturbances may repeat their rituals for hours, trying to perfect them. Endless checking and re-checking. It's normal to check that you locked the door when leaving the house and that you didn't forget to put your keys in your bag. It's ok as long as you do it once or twice. However, people with high levels of anxiety recheck such things over and over again, so that sometimes they simply cannot leave the house on time and/or are late for work or a meeting. Of course, the number of problematic tactics is not limited to this list. The behavioral strategy that a person chooses depends on what kind of problem he is faced with. Psychological work involves abandoning patterns of behavior that bring temporary relief in favor of less comfortable, but healthier actions that will ultimately help you overcome your problems. You can contact me for psychological advice in a way convenient for you: WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram ,Tel. +7 968 ​​555 1228 Subscribe to my Telegram channel, there is a lot of useful information: https://t.me/gennadiy_eliseev_psy