Unhealthy coping strategies are often quick fixes that don’t address the root cause of the stress.
For example, playing video games to relieve the stress of an overdue project; while video games may provide some calm, you’re avoiding the root issue of said stress and endangering the project in the process.
Health coping strategies tend to look like the less easy path to coping with stress, but they have far more long-term benefits.
For example, meditation or taking a walk after a bad argument with a loved one may seem counterintuitive to solving the issue, but some distance and time to think may help you both calm down and approach the situation with a clear head.