By MICHELLE CHAMBERLAI
For freshmen, learning how to reduce and deal with stress caused by finals, midterms, research papers, church callings, relationships and jobs, is one of the most beneficial skills that can be mastered at college.
Nesha Woodhouse, a psychology major, said the typical stressful situation for students is called “life stress,” in which stress builds up like a giant stair case.
Woodhouse said this theory is taught in a stress management workshop and deals with each step representing individual situations.
There are two ways students can try to maintain a healthy stress level, which apply to two different types of students.
The first method is for students who have problems with procrastination. Kendra Schiffman, a sociology major at BYU, said many students enter college without the correct study skills; therefore, they begin to procrastinate in their classes.
“As the semester rolls along, the students find themselves further behind in their classes and stressed out. Many reach a point were they realize it is impossible to play catch up and feelings of despair and panic set in,” Woodhouse said.
Both Woodhouse and Schiffman agree that in order to overcome procrastination, students must be able to efficiently manage their time. Both students teach workshops through the Counseling and Development Center in a division called the Career and Learning Information Center.
Woodhouse suggests for the student caught in procrastination to write down a list of things to do on an index card and keep it in a pocket to check off or add to according to the day.
The next key for these students is to be disciplined enough to complete the list they have compiled for themselves. Woodhouse said it is not necessary to follow the list rigidly, but to follow it closely enough to accomplish the daily goals.
Some suggestions from teachers of the time management workshop include organizing each week and having assignments done a day in advance in order to add social activities and to finish any additional homework that may be assigned at the last minute.
“It is important to have a balance in life,” Schiffman said. This leads to the second type of student, those who overload themselves with certain activities and neglect others.
In the time management workshop, the instructors say balance is the key to happiness and a sense of well being. If too much emphasis is placed in one aspect of life, then other areas will begin to crumble.
Woodhouse said each day students should try to include any activity they want to do, even if it is only for half an hour. She also said help is available on campus through her department.
A list of final suggestions from instructors who teach stress management include being realistic and limiting activities to create a balance, making sure to eat and exercise, learning to say no, avoiding leaving loose ends such as unresolved personal problems, and finally, helping somebody else in order to gain a different perspective on problem solving
