It is a known fact that nursing is a difficult course to pursue in college. As a nursing student, you have to deal with your academic subjects. Aside from that, you still have to learn and enhance the necessary skills to take care of the sick and well clients. It goes without saying therefore that you face many challenges, even struggles, throughout your college years. You have to develop coping mechanisms that you will utilize not only in school but also in your future careers.

Coping Mechanisms Defined

Dictionary.com defines coping mechanism as:

an adaptation to environmental stress that is based on conscious or unconscious choice and that enhances control over behavior or gives psychological comfort

Algorani and Gupta, in their book, stated that coping is divided into reactive and proactive coping. Reactive coping, as the name implies, means one’s response to a current stressor. Proactive, on the other hand, is simply the anticipation and mitigation of a future potential stressor.  It requires careful planning and thoughtful consideration of the facts of the matter at hand.

Furthermore, coping is divided into four categories: problem-focused, emotion-focused, meaning-focused, and social coping.

1. Problem-Focused Coping

When using problem-focused coping, nursing students have to identify the problem or concern first. It is logical that you use the nursing process: assess, plan, intervene, and evaluate. Some examples include:

1. Practicing nursing skills (e.g. auscultation of different lung sounds) consistently.
2. Asking clarifying questions if unable to fully understand that assignment or the lesson (e.g. the difference between droplet and airborne isolation).
3. Conducting group study sessions in preparation for exams or presentations (e.g. thesis or dissertation defense).
4. Forgoing bingeing on a favorite series to devote more time to completing requirements (e.g. case studies).
5. Carefully balance time between studies, clinicals, and self-care activities (e.g. rest, meditation, hanging out with friends, etc.).

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2. Emotional-Focused Coping

Stresses bring about negative emotions. They may present either as anxiety, frustration, anger, or depression potentially due to unrealistic expectations. It is normal to get upset when things don’t turn out as expected. However, it is imperative for nursing students to overcome those negative feelings for the benefit of the patients. As providers of tender loving care (TLC), we have to be mindful of how we present ourselves to others. In a nutshell, how can we provide that TLC if we cannot even manage our own emotions?

For the most part, emotional coping mechanisms include acceptance that some things or situations cannot be changed. Therefore, you have to change your perspective on how to deal with that never-changing situation. For example, a patient is irritable, crabby, and demanding. How does a nursing student deal with that?

1. Be aware of your own emotional state. Be mindful of your non-verbal communication (e.g. tone of voice, mannerisms, facial expressions, etc.), especially in front of the patients.
2. Affirm yourself. Nothing is more important emotionally than you believing in yourself!
3. Fill your own cup – whatever that means to you personally. It may be doing yoga, having a massage, or going to church.
4. Allow yourself to have a mental break. It doesn’t have to be a grand vacation abroad. Rather, it can be something as simple as appreciating the ebb and flow of the tide on the beach.
5. Read, listen, or watch something that will enhance and affirm you as a person and as a future nurse.
6. Set realistic goals for yourself. Define short and long-term goals.
7. Don’t do self-sabotage. This simply means: don’t be hard on yourself.

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3. Meaning-Focused Coping

This requires cognitive methods to arrive at a meaning of a specific situation.

This reminds me of the very first patient I took care of. He was a sick grandpa in his 60s. I was racking my brain on what to do with his nasal cannula, chest tube, nasogastric tube, and Foley catheter. I initially felt defeated because I didn’t know what to do, as a second-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing student. My classmates were dealing with asthma patients while I had a very complicated case.

I could have sulked in the corner and cried, but I chose not to. I sought the recommendation of my clinical instructor on how I will be able to prioritize my numerous tasks. She was very supportive. She even explained to me the rationale why she assigned the patient to me. Had I not approached her, I could have been scarred for life, fearing taking care of patients with complicated needs. On the flip side, that experience prepared me for my many professional nursing roles.

Some of the Meaning-Focused Coping Mechanisms

1. Looking at the glass half-full. Despite the initial impression, give yourself time to digest the whole situation. Look at things from others’ perspectives.
2. If overwhelmed, remove yourself from the situation (e.g. go to the bathroom and take a five-minute break), and recompose yourself. If it is unrealistic for you to continue taking care of that patient, speak up to your instructor or charge nurse.
3. Make it a habit to reevaluate your day. Assess what went great and what could you do better the next time.
4. Don’t dwell on negative experiences. There will be good days and bad days. Learn the lessons from both and move on.
5. Patients, situations, and circumstances constantly change. Be assured that you are skillful and knowledgeable enough to deal with anything that comes your way.

4. Social Coping

As people, we are social beings. We don’t exist in isolation. Therefore, it is imperative that we seek out support from our families, friends, and communities. They inspire, empower, and challenge us to become better providers of care. Safe to say, I am not the nurse that I am today had it not been for my own tribe.

Families provide financial support. They can pick up your chores if you are too busy doing schoolwork. They provide a home and safe haven for you.

Friends are our lifelines. They understand what they go through because most of them experience the same. We throd the same paths together, especially if they are nursing students themselves. For those who may be pursuing other courses, they give us a different perspective from the clinical eyes and minds that we have.

Our communities include church family, volunteer groups, and the like. One of my personal outlets before was my involvement with my church youth group. As I was studying at that time at a Catholic college, I became a part of the Pre-Cana (pre-wedding) educators. My role was to talk about peri-pregnancy health and even childcare. I felt that I was able to use my knowledge in effecting change in a non-traditionally nursing way.

Social Coping Mechanisms

1. Being honest with your family that you are swamped with school requirements. Ask for help when needed.
2. Connect with friends and do something that you enjoy together (e.g. hang out, talk about funny experiences, compare notes about school, etc.).
3. Find a mentor whom you want to emulate and who can assist you in reaching your goal.
4. Pay it forward. Mentor a child, perhaps. I remember teaching my youngest brother the types of massage so that he can practice that skill on me. Am I a wise sister or what? 😉
5. Conduct community-based projects. Part of our Community Health Nursing before was to do community assessment. We checked for potable water sources and provided medical services to underserved locales. They were all tiring experiences, but more so were very fulfilling.

Last Words

While most of my examples were nursing-related, these coping mechanisms are really applicable to everyone. We have stresses in life or work. It is therefore important for us to identify positive ways of coping with them. Hopefully, you find the examples I shared applicable to your own specific situation.

I have only cited some examples and I would like to hear your own ways of dealing with life’s stresses. Please share them by commenting below.