LAURA ELLERTSO
Semester after semester finals come, and with them, stress. But somehow students make it through and are able to relax–at least until next semester.
Whether it be exercising, eating, sleeping, reading, studying or just praying really hard, each student seems to have his or her favorite ways to eliminate or ignore stress.
“Hakuna Matata,” said Elliott Brown, a freshman from Salt Lake City.
The popular phrase from Disney’s “Lion King” means “don’t worry.”
Brown advised students not to worry because things will work out in the end.
“You’ll get a good job after you graduate no matter what grades you get,” Brown said.
Stephen Mears, a senior from Provo majoring in sociology, said he reduces stress through physical exertion.
The nervous energy converts to physical energy on the court.
Among his favorite ways to relieve the stress generated by finals are basketball and weightlifting.
Mears enjoys basketball because it “gets [his] mind off of it.”
As a result, Mears has spent some time lately looking at stress relief products like massaging chairs.
He has been especially interested in the chair cushions that vibrate from the neck down.
Liz Rigby, a freshman from Salt Lake City, finds that doing nice things for others relieves her school related stress. She said most of her stress comes from realizing that she doesn’t have enough time to prepare as much as she would like.
“Set values and goals, try to be organized and not take things too seriously,” Rigby advised. “Take a deep breath and stop and think about what you are doing.”
Exercising, playing the piano, and listening to quality music also work, according to Rigby.
“Laughter is the best way to relieve stress,” according to Ryan Monson, a freshman from Salt Lake City majoring in chemical engineering.
Playing practical jokes on roommates, and carrying on unusual conversations with friends for strange looks on campus are among his favorite forms of stress reduction.
When he’s not up for joking around, Monson attempts to eliminate stress by sitting on his bed, thinking, reading the scriptures, praying and running.
Monson, who said he gets more annoyed by finals than he does stressed, has discovered that often it is easier to avoid stress than to reduce it.
