12 ways to deal with stress:
1. Sleep. Don’t underestimate the value of a power nap. It will make studying more effective.
2. Go for a run.
3. Avoid people who stress you out.
4. Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
5. Distinguish between “should” and “must.” Drop unnecessary tasks.
6. Take three deep breaths and say out loud, “I am the best. I can do it.”
7. Manage your time better. Plan ahead.
8. Learn how to say no to friends for the next week.
9. Have a positive outlook. Think, “Hey, this time next week I won’t be in the library.”
10. Avoid caffeine. It can increase stress levels.
11. Look at the big picture. Come on people, eternal perspective.
12. Adjust your standards. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection.
Student stress levels generally peak during finals week, but many are finding ways to stay sane.
Keith Jensen, a senior public relations major from Atlanta, said exams week can be difficult, but it is doable.
“It’s like occupy college,” he said. “They put 99 percent of the workload into 1 percent of the semester. I’m a pretty stressed-out person as it is, so finals week can be a little rough. But I have made it through before and I can do it again.”
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The Career and Academic Success Center only offers stress management workshops in December and April because high stress levels often negatively affect test scores, said Hunter Schwarz, communications director for the center.
“Stress management is just helping students understand stress and then helping them understand how to deal with it,” Schwarz said. “In the workshops they teach breathing techniques and other methods that surprisingly help a lot.”
Students have come up with some unique ways to cope with stress. Todd Brown, a junior Chinese major from Draper, said he convinces himself to relax.
“I think what I do best in dealing with the stress of finals is that I just make myself understand I will be in the library all day everyday for two weeks,” Brown said. “Once I accept that, it’s all OK.”
Brown learns from Chinese students who he says are better than American students at test-taking skills.
“The Chinese have a few interesting techniques,” he said. “In the middle of their school days, even when they are like 6 years old, they are given break time to take deep breaths and massage their necks and temples. Kind of funny but true.”
