Winding It Down: Finals and Stress

Commentary Editor

   For most students, winding down the spring semester can bring about some very mixed emotions.

   On one hand, finals week means the excitement of getting packed up to go back home or to take a much needed vacation from the responsibilities and demands of being a college student. Yet, with enjoyment comes the yucky side of the last week of school.

   Students are trying to manage their time between five-page essays, speeches and critical final exams, all of which cause a lot of stress.

   Stress is definitely not a laughing matter.

   Excessive worrying causes your immune system to weaken and makes you have sleep problems, concentration difficulties, increase in frustration, lowered sex drive and, worst of all, depression.

   Stress usually comes from any major life challenge, and to each person that challenge may be as small as what topic to write about for a paper or as big as something like losing a loved one.  However, the point is that everyone at some point in their life experienced some magnitude of stress. In order to manage stress, you can:

• Make a schedule to manage your time.  If you have each activity signed up at a certain time, the more you can get done and the more time you will have later to relax.
• Study in an atmosphere that is comfortable and soothing to you. Students should study in a quiet room to avoid distractions because it’s very difficult to retain information when your friends are asking you questions about the latest gossip.
• Be optimistic because having a good attitude about your performance on finals will actually improve your concentration and self-confidence.
• Try breathing exercises. If a person gets stressed, they tend to take shorter, more shallow breaths, resulting in hyperventilation or a panic attack. These exercises reduce stress by allowing enough oxygen to get to your brain.
• Exercise or meditate. By burning off some energy, you can focus entirely on what you are doing, which is the same thing meditation achieves when you ignore outside stimuli and focus on one thought.
• Find social support. Everyone needs a person to listen to their problems and give advice. This person could be a friend, professor, pastor or campus counselor.

   When I get stressed, I revert back to what my Intermediate Algebra professor told me.

   He said, “If you don’t succeed, will anyone remember it 20 years from now?”

   This reminds me to take another look at the stressors in my life and evaluate if they are worth the time and effort to worry about, but sometimes the stress can become overwhelming. If you find yourself in this position, please visit the campus counselor Laura Hughes in Harris Hall, or call at 460-1454. Drop-in counseling is available to accommodate students in crisis or emergency situations and best of all it is completely free of cost and confidential.

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