In the last two posts, we talked about stress and burnout and how they can build over time during your college experience.

When stress or burnout shows up, your brain naturally looks for relief. Everyone copes with stress in some way. The question is not whether you cope, but how you cope.

Some coping strategies support your long-term well-being. Others may feel helpful in the moment but create more problems over time.

Understanding the difference is an important part of preventing substance misuse.

What Is Coping?

Coping refers to the thoughts and behaviors you use to manage stress, emotions, and challenging situations.

Coping is not good or bad by default. It is a tool. Some tools are more helpful depending on the situation and how often they are used.

Most people use a mix of coping strategies, sometimes without even realizing it.

Healthy Coping Strategies

Healthy coping strategies help you manage stress without creating additional harm. They support your mental, physical, and emotional well-being over time.

Examples include:

• Talking to a friend, family member, or counselor
• Getting enough sleep
• Going for a walk or moving your body
• Journaling or writing things down
• Listening to music
• Taking breaks when needed
• Breaking tasks into smaller steps
• Practicing deep breathing or mindfulness
• Asking for help when you need it

These strategies may not make stress disappear instantly, but they help your brain and body recover and reset.

Unhealthy Coping Strategies

Unhealthy coping strategies may provide short-term relief, but they often create more stress or problems later.

Examples include:

• Using alcohol or drugs to escape stress or emotions
• Avoiding responsibilities for long periods of time
• Overusing caffeine or energy drinks to push through exhaustion
• Ignoring sleep for long periods
• Isolating yourself completely from others
• Taking medications that are not prescribed to you
• Repeatedly numbing emotions instead of processing them

These strategies often start because they seem to help in the moment. Over time, they can increase anxiety, disrupt sleep, affect academic performance, and make stress harder to manage.

Why People Sometimes Choose Unhealthy Coping

It is important to understand that unhealthy coping does not happen because someone is careless or irresponsible.

It often happens because:

• Stress feels overwhelming
• Healthy coping skills have not been learned or practiced yet
• Substances or avoidance provide fast relief
• Friends or social environments normalize certain behaviors
• Someone is trying to feel better as quickly as possible

In other words, unhealthy coping is often about trying to survive stress, not ignoring it.

The Substance Use Connection

Substances can sometimes feel like a quick way to cope.

For example, students may use:

• Alcohol to relax or feel more social
• Marijuana to disconnect from stress
• Nicotine or vaping to manage anxiety
• Stimulants or energy drinks to stay awake and perform academically

While these may feel helpful in the moment, they do not address the root cause of stress or burnout.

Over time, reliance on substances can create a cycle where stress increases, and coping becomes more difficult without them.

Building Awareness Without Judgment

The goal is not to label coping strategies as “good” or “bad.”

The goal is to notice:

• What helps me feel better in a healthy way
• What helps only for a short time but creates more stress later
• What patterns I fall into when I am overwhelmed

Awareness is the first step toward change.

Reflection Activity

Take a few minutes to reflect on the questions below:

• What do I usually do when I feel stressed or overwhelmed?
• Which of my coping strategies help me long-term?
• Are there any coping habits I rely on that make things harder later?
• What is one new healthy coping strategy I could try this week?

Write your answers in a journal, notes app, or somewhere you can come back to later.

Explore More

• Active Minds: https://www.activeminds.org
• The Jed Foundation: https://jedfoundation.org
• NAMI College Mental Health Resources: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/College-Students

Coming Up Next

In the next post, we will explore academic pressure and performance stress, including how students sometimes turn to shortcuts like sleep deprivation, energy drinks, or substances to keep up.

Estimated Read Time: 4–5 minutes

Disclaimer

All content on the RTT Virtual Hub is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health or medical advice.