Emotional reponse to challenges: understanding and handling

G N I K A E P S

How well do you generally handle stressful

situations?
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Name some of the things that stress you out.
Emotional detachment is an inability or unwillingness to connect with
What kinds of signs do people show when other people on an emotional level. For some people, being

they’re experiencing stress? emotionally detached is a choice and helps protect them from

unwanted drama, anxiety, or stress. For others, detachment isn’t

How does your body react to stress?
always voluntary. It’s instead the result of events that make the person

unable to be open and honest about their emotions, for example, it

We're going to read a text about how people could stem from traumatic experiences, such as betrayal or the loss of

handle stressful situations. Look at the titles of a loved one.

G N I D A E R

the texts. Does any seem familiar? What do you

Periods of disconnect are common in relationships. If the detachment
think they mean?
becomes pervasive or ongoing, it can cause problems in the

As you read, make notes: relationship. You may feel “numbed” or “muted”, which could make

✩ - It's surprising / interesting

✓
establishing meaningful relationships more challenging.

- I already knew this

❍
↓
- something I didn't know Treatment for emotional detachment depends on what is causing it

- I don't like this / I disagree and what the individual's goals are. If it is a component of another

◻︎- I'm not sure what this means condition, such as depression, the whole condition needs to be

treated. Psychotherapy (talk therapy) may be beneficial. Other things,

1 which could be potentially helpful are mediation and mindfulness,

keeping a journal or making art. This can help reduce stress, promote
If you ever spend lots of time imagining what could go wrong, even
calm, and improve reactions to negative thoughts and feelings.
though you will probably do OK, you might be a defensive pessimist.

Defensive pessimists set low expectations and plan for the worst-

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case scenario as a means to avoid it.

Unlike pessimists who experience low self-esteem and are at

For years many of us have been told about numerous benefits of
increased risk for anxiety and depression, defensive pessimists have
staying positive. We are often taught to suppress our negative
the ability to reflect on their situation and plan for anything. They
feelings with our parents saying ‘It’s not a big deal’ or ‘Stop
direct their anxiety toward productive activity. Defensive pessimism
crying, everything is fine.’ This all has resulted in a peculiar
can be used as an effective anxiety management strategy if it is

knowingly used. The biggest negative impact potentially comes phenomenon - toxic positivity.

from other peoples’ reactions. If you’re doing it out loud, other

people tend to get annoyed by it. So, one thing that could help you Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter how difficult a

is to embrace your defensive pessimism and tap into this mindset situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. But we all

consciously. deal with painful emotions and experiences. Some research

suggests that people who avoid their own negative emotions just
According to scientists, half the world is on the low positive
feel worse later on. If you keep ghosting your own emotions,
affective spectrum. So the reason why some of us tend to be
they’ll keep coming back to haunt you until you finally deal with
defensive pessimists is as banal as it gets: we're naturally
them.
predisposed to certain attitudes.

Another potential pitfall of toxic positivity is the risk of ruining the

3 relationship with people around you. For example, if a friend

reveals they received a difficult diagnosis, we may say something

Negativity bias is the way we tend to perceive the world: we are
"Everything will be OK, don't worry" instead of "This sucks. I'm so
more likely to pay more attention to bad things and overlook good
sorry you're going through this", and may end up invalidating their
things. For example, you might be having a great day at work
experiences.
when a coworker makes an offhand comment that you find

irritating. You then find yourself stewing over their words for the
The only way to combat that is to give yourself permission to feel
rest of the workday. When you get home from work and someone
your feelings. These feelings are real, valid, and important. They
asks you how your day was, you reply that it was terrible - even

though it was overall quite good despite that one negative can provide information and help you see things about a situation

incident. that you need to work to change.

The negativity bias can take a toll on your mental health, causing
L I A T E D

you to dwell on dark thoughts and even hurt your relationships with
Read the texts one more time and make
loved ones.

notes about the following:

Negative bias is likely a result of evolution. Earlier in human history,
what exactly each emotional response
R O F

paying attention to bad, dangerous, and negative threats in the

world was literally a matter of survival. Those who were more implies
attuned to danger were more likely to survive.
G N I D A E R

what causes it
Next time you find yourself ruminating on things, look for an

uplifting activity to pull yourself out of this negative mindset. Try to what effects can it have
redirect your attention elsewhere and engage in an activity that
how we can deal with it
brings you joy. Another thing you could do is take a moment to

focus on something great happening.

Yuliya Kumicheva@cupofelt
 What was the most surprising emotional response out of these four? Why?

Which of these emotional responses have you personally experienced?

N O I S S U C S I D

Do you know someone who tends to react to stress and challenges in one of the ways?

Where do you think these emotional responses stem from?

It's been noted that defensive pessimists may come across as annoying to some people. Can

you think of potential situations when someone's defensive pessimism may be regarded as

annoying?

Do you think negativity bias is more of a positive or negative phenomenon today?

In some countries, there is a public stigma regarding mental illness and seeking professional

help. Is it true for a place where you live?

What can emotional detachment look like? What are some likely symptoms?

Do you agree that the phrase "Don't worry, be happy!" is an example of toxic positivity?

Some people blame social media for promoting toxic positivity mentality. Why do you think is

that?
HPARGARAP LEDOM :GNITIRW

We're going to do an exercise called model paragraph . This activity helps to focus on

organizational patterns and cohesive devices. What you need to do is to take a paragraph and

rewrite it, trying to keep as much of the original text as possible. You can choose a different topic,

change some of the content, and add some words if needed. Look at an example below: the edited

paragraph has some parts of the original text (in bold), but is about time management for students.

Write your own paragraph.

Unlike pessimists who experience low self-esteem and are at

Unlike studentswho put off exam preparation till the last
increased risk for anxiety and depression, defensive
moment and are at increased risk for not performing well
on an exam, students with good time management skills
pessimists have the ability to reflect on their situation and

plan for anything. They direct their anxiety toward

have the ability to adequately pace their preparation and
productive activity. Defensive pessimism can be used as an
plan for anything in advance. They direct their efforts
effective anxiety management strategy if it is knowingly
toward productive preparation. Time management can be
used. The biggest negative impact potentially comes from
used as an effective exam studying strategy if it is
other peoples’ reactions. If you’re doing it out loud, other
knowingly used. The biggest negative impact
people tend to get annoyed by it. So, one thing that could
potentially comes from missing out on social activities. If
help you is to embrace your defensive pessimism and tap
you prioritize studies, other activities tend to get left out.
into this mindset consciously.
So, one thing that could help you is to assess your tasks
and choose where priorities lie consciously.
ORIGINAL PARAGRAPH
EDITED PARAGRAPH

Write your own paragraph about other potential emotional responses to challenging or stressful
G N I T I R W

situations. You may use a model paragraph activity from the previous exercise, or create your own

paragraph from scratch. Make sure to include information about

what exactly happens to people who experience this emotional response;

what causes it;

what effects can it have;

how we can deal with it.

You can choose one of the emotional responses below or write about something else.

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