Coping - Interpretation

     Coping is a response that college students are all too familiar with due to the large amounts of stress that they are under at any given time. This response is natural and innate, and was advantageous to our ancient ancestors as it allowed them to persevere in times of great stress, rather than simply falling apart and risking danger. However, being mindful of behavior and tweaking coping mechanisms can lead to the behavior having a more profound and successful effect, allowing for greater mental clarity and the ability to overcome the stressor(s) with ease. One such manner is through interpretation. 

      Interpretation is beneficial in unpredictable, uncontrollable, or highly stressful environments when our brain struggles to make sense of the situation. Often, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information as our brain rapidly attempts to form a plan, but this can be subverted through a change of interpretation. Adopting an interpretive strategy aids in decision-making and understanding and facilitates the creation of an action plan. These strategies also differ from person to person due to the fact that each individual has a lifetime of experience. Due to this experience, there is a different "most-beneficial" interpretation for everyone, but interpretations can be easily shared and adopted among two or more people. 

     A time I used an interpretive strategy was when I was younger, and used to have terrible stage fright. Unfortunately for me, my parents decided the way for me to face this fear was to sign me up for a theater camp in which we would eventually put on the show Peter Pan. Since my name was Peter, I was given the lead. I was terrified. I came home from camp more nervous every day, constantly looking ahead with dread to the eventual performance, imagining all the possible things that could go catastrophically wrong. I felt that my embarrassment was inevitable. However, my parents noticed my nervousness and decided to intervene. They told me that instead of thinking that I was performing in front of the audience, I should pretend we were simply rehearsing. This way, I would go into the performance much calmer and would see any mistake that I made as just a part of practice. At first I doubted that anything could alleviate my nerves, but as I began to use this strategy I noticed with surprise that it was actually working. The stage lights were too blinding for me to see the crowd, so it was easy to imagine they were not there. From there, it was a simple change of mindset to believe that this was not a performance at all, and the only people around were those on the stage with me. In this way, I learned the power of interpretation, and continue to use it to aid when situations seem too daunting to face as they are.