No doubt, university and college life can have many wonderful moments, but, at times, it will also present difficult challenges, for everyone. We may not always feel that we have the tools to cope with those challenges, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
Richard Lazarus was an influential psychologist who is well known for his work in the area of stress and coping. A widely accepted definition of stress attributed to Lazarus describes stress as “a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize”. In other words, people suffer stress when they perceive that they are in a difficult situation and don’t believe that they have the skills necessary to deal with it.
When we look at this definition, we can see that three important points are mentioned.
First, the definition focuses on a perception (the way we take in and interpret the information). This explains how two people can experience the same situation, but one person may see it as very difficult and become stressed, while the other person may not interpret the situation as a tough one, so it doesn’t bother them.
Second, the definition talks about demands on us, or what we feel is required in the situation. If we believe that the demands are too high, we may feel that we are under too much pressure, and become stressed.
Third, the definition looks at the resources or skills and strengths that we have to deal with the demands. If we feel that we don’t have the skills that are necessary to deal with a situation, that can also lead to stress.
So, stress occurs when we believe that the demands of our situation exceed our capabilities to deal with it.
Although people often think of stress as being caused by external factors, such as the situation that we are in or the people we interact with, according to this model, that doesn’t tell us the whole picture. This model says that stress is caused by an interaction between what is happening around us (the stressor), our view of the stressor (how demanding we perceive it to be) and our perceived ability to cope with it (our resources). Lazarus referred to this as the Transactional Model of Stress, because stress is seen to develop, not just from the external situation, but from the interplay between the individual and the environment they are in.
Looking at this model provides us with several places to focus on when trying to figure out how to better cope with the challenges we face.
First, we can examine our perceptions (i.e. the way we view life’s challenges). Are we over-reacting, are we jumping to conclusions that are not yet justified, are we making mountains out of molehills.
Second, perhaps there are too many demands on us, perhaps we have too much on our plate. If so, we may be able to figure out how to decrease some of those demands. Maybe we need to give up a few things on our plate, or learn how to say “no” more often.
Third, if we don’t have the necessary resources to cope with the demands on us, we can add additional resources, by learning some new skills. For example, if you are stressed because you find that you run out of time before you get your required assignments completed, take advantage of the time management workshops that are offered at most universities. If your notes are difficult to decipher when it comes to studying, find a workshop on note taking strategies. Counselling services can offer help in building skills in personal or interpersonal areas.
Stress is, inevitably, a normal part of life. In fact, some stress may be helpful, motivating us to do our best. Too much stress, though, can have a negative impact on our performance, and on our health. You can’t avoid stress, but you can work to figure out what you can do to improve your coping strategies when stress arises. If you follow my blog, we will be talking about many coping tips from psychology, to help you achieve this goal. Stay tuned.
Take care,
Rhonda Gilby
