The Top 8 Healthy Defenses

How cool is it that our minds have the ability to put up healthy defenses in order to allow ourselves to continue on with our lives?

There are a variety of defense mechanisms mentioned in the DSM. 

Here are the top 8 healthy defenses:

1) Humor 

- Crack a joke with a friend about how terrible the weather is and it will actually help you deal with it

2) Altruism 

- Go volunteer at a local food bank if you're feeling blue, you'll feel better

3) Sublimation 

- Go for a long run if you start to feel angry, it will help the anger fade away

4) Affiliation 

- Support Groups are great to attend if you want to share your problems and feel better

5) Self-Assertion 

- Force yourself to talk to a best friend, honestly, about your problems and you'll feel better

6) Anticipation 

- You know the Social Work Exam is going to be stressful, therefore you realize that you must prepare now or you might not pass

7) Self-Observation 

- Journaling is a great way to reflect on how you feel and how you can best deal with a situation

8) Suppression 

- Remember that if you feel overwhelmed about how much you have to learn for the exam that if you don't think about the big picture, you'll feel better. One step at a time and let go of the rest

Flex that anticipation defense and check out other social work exam prep materials here: SWTP