SHC, WRC help students cope with stress

Keeping a journal, exercising and taking breaks can help reduce stress.

By Zachary Murdock

Published April 23, 2010

With finals week approaching, the Wellness Resource Center and Student Health Center are offering several places for students to relieve stress and seek help dealing with the pressure of exams.

"Stress comes to everyone's attention more during those times like finals and midterms because we are all more aware of it due to these events," SHC Health Promotion Director Terry Wilson said.

Stress management interventions are important to develop and practice on a regular basis, Wilson said. If practiced throughout the semester, those coping mechanisms can relieve daily stress and test anxiety.

Both the SHC and WRC see an increase in students for stress related issues this time of year, WRC Peer Education Coordinator Stephanie Heffernan said.

"Students are under a lot of pressure during this time of year," Heffernan said. "Sources of stress can stem from many different factors, but some of the most common are studying for final exams, graduation, finding employment and confirming housing plans for the fall semester."

Although stress affects students throughout the year, final exams and projects can trigger more stress. Wilson said stress often manifests itself in physical symptoms, including poor sleeping or eating habits, poor academic performance and increased procrastination.

In the health care field, it is common knowledge that 70 to 80 percent of patient visits to a primary care facility include stress as a factor, Wilson said.

"As an integrated, holistic model of health care, the Student Health Center strives to treat the whole person," Wilson said. "So in conjunction with the medical care a student receives at the center, we work together to provide supportive stress management programs whether that means students are referred to our mental health or health promotion departments for further assessment."

At the WRC, students can meet with a wellness coach to address their stress problems, Heffernan said. Wellness coaching is designed to identify the root of students' stress problems, provide general tips for dealing with stress and coaches serve as a reference for further resources.

The SHC provides several programs to help students alleviate stress and deal with its affects on a daily basis. SHC courses include yoga programs iRest and Mindful Yoga, which help reduce stress and anxiety through relation and meditation, as well as programs focusing on mindfulness base skills to help stress, Wilson said.

There are things that can be done to alleviate stress on your own, Heffernan and Wilson said. Options to combat include keeping a journal, exercising or even taking a break.

An SHC article on stress identified easy steps students can take to help reduce stress on their own. These tips included sleep, exercise, time management, leisure time and humor as simple ways to consistently reduce stress.