- Mehrnoosh (Mer) Tahsil
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 14
When You Don’t Need Another Coping Strategy
Sometimes, the answer isn’t another coping technique - it’s acceptance.
Written By: Mer Tahsil
About the Author
Mehrnoosh (Mer) Tahsil, Master's of Arts in Counselling Psychology (Candidate), Student Clinician, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Not Every Feeling Needs to Be Fixed
Sometimes it feels like if we’re still struggling, we just haven’t found the right tool yet.
Another breathing technique. Another grounding exercise. Another coping strategy to make the feeling go away.
But not every difficult emotion needs to be fixed. Sometimes, it simply needs to be acknowledged.
Instead of asking, “How do I make this feeling go away?” we can pause and ask, “What has brought me here?”
Acceptance Is Not Giving Up
Acceptance doesn’t mean that we like what is happening or that we stop trying to improve our lives.
Sometimes, it means allowing ourselves to sit with what is painful without immediately trying to change it.
It can mean looking at ourselves through a more compassionate lens and recognizing the experiences, circumstances, and challenges that have brought us to this moment.
Be Careful What You Compare Yourself To
In a world of Instagram, TikTok, and carefully selected moments, comparison can happen almost automatically.
We may find ourselves comparing our lowest moments to someone else’s highest ones, or our difficult seasons to someone else’s successes.
And when we do this, it can become easy to criticize ourselves for where we are rather than understand what we are going through.
What If You Sat Beside Yourself Instead?
You don’t have to heal on someone else’s timeline.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you deserve compassion.
Sometimes, rather than reaching for another coping strategy, you can simply sit beside yourself and acknowledge:
“This is hard. What I’m going through is painful. And it makes sense that I feel this way.”
Sometimes, Being With Yourself Is Enough
Not every uncomfortable emotion is asking to be changed.
Sometimes, the most compassionate thing we can do is stop trying to push the feeling away, hold our own hand, and give ourselves permission to be where we are.
Sometimes, You Could Use A Little Support
If you feel like you've been trying everything to 'cope', you've read this blog, and you still feel like you need more support, reach out to me. I can help support you in finding the right path for you to build a life and version of yourself that can handle hard things, relish in the good moments, and have more calm throughout the process. Use the button below to book your appointment with me and let's start this part of your journey together!
More About Mer
Mer is a Student Therapist pursuing her Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) and completing her final practicum at Therapy Uninterrupted. She is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Her approach to therapy is grounded in collaboration and respect for your individual experience. Rather than following a fixed model, your work is shaped by your goals, needs, and pace. Mer strives to provide a supportive, non-judgmental environment, with regular check-ins to ensure therapy remains intentional, flexible, and aligned with what matters most to you.
Mer works with adults and adolescents navigating concerns such as anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, self-esteem, identity exploration, relationships, life and career transitions, and separation or breakups. She also support individuals experiencing ADHD-related challenges or neurodivergence and with couples.
Outside of the clinic, she enjoys art, music, and being creative in her expression of herself and her emotions.
