It is definitely possible to cope before, during, and after stressful events. Most of the research on stress has focused on how we respond after an event has occurred. But we know there are characteristics some people have that might make them respond more negatively or more resiliently to stress. For example, people who are neurotic, which is a personality trait characterized by constant elevated levels of negative mood, tend to respond more negatively to stress.

But in addition to personality characteristics—which are relatively stable—there is also a dynamic component to coping with stress. Specifically, the way that we appraise, or think about, something stressful depends on the type and severity of the stress. Coping works best when our efforts to deal with the stressor match the demands of the situation and the resources we have available to tackle them.

Some of the recent work in my lab has focused on the idea of coping before something stressful happens. This sort of proactive coping is future-oriented and typically involves goal setting, as well as planning for adverse events and expending resources to prevent them or to reduce their impact.

Proactive coping reduces the likelihood of experiencing future stressors. That means people who do more proactive coping tend to encounter fewer stressful experiences, because their coping efforts help them avoid stressors. There are both cognitive components (e.g., thinking about plans) as well as behavioral components (e.g., allocating resources).

People who engage in proactive coping are likely to agree with statements such as: “I try to take care of little problems before they become big problems;” “I prepare for adverse events;” “Rather than spending every cent I make, I like to save for a rainy day;” “I like to plan ahead;” and “I’m willing to spend time, energy, or money now to save a greater amount of time, energy, or money later.”

Overall, proactive coping is associated with many positive outcomes, such as higher levels of quality of life, fewer symptoms of PTSD, lower levels of stress, and lower levels of depression.

And we all know that some stress can last for a long time, so it is important to think about ways to cope and boost resilience during stress.