Campus copes with stress during finals

With finals lurking just around the corner, students are looking to fend off breakdowns any way they can. Exercise and relaxation are common methods for releasing stress, but others employ less conventional means.\nStress originates in the mind before affecting the body, so studying and test-taking affect people's stress levels differently, said Dian Krumlauf, a massage therapist at the IU Health and Wellness Education Center. As stress levels rise, the immune system suffers, she said. \nTo stay healthy, Krumlauf said most students visit her in the last few weeks of the semester.\n"I'm trying to get the stress out of these (students)," Krumlauf said. "And the stress they have is just unbelievable."\nMany students only increase their stress when they succumb to the lure of procrastination.\n"Trying to cram all that in the night before and get a good night's rest is probably the most stressful," freshman Leigh Ann White said. "I like my sleep."\nBut not all students are so quick to condemn procrastination as means of battling nervous breakdowns. Freshman Ryan Soto cited his generally relaxed attitude as the basis for his stress-free lifestyle.\n"(My Resident Assistant) told me I was a slacker that didn't participate in school activities," Soto said. "I do something to keep my mind off it like play video games. I also write songs and play music."\nSoto also said he finds that when he avoids studying, he avoids stress.\nStudents looking to stave off stress can turn to academic services for help. The Student Academic Center holds several workshops a week at Briscoe and Forest Quads and Ashton Center, including seminars on academic strategies and stress management.\nOthers find less conventional ways to stay stress-free.\n"I nap frequently during the day," White said. "I'm a big fan of power-naps. Other than that, coming down and getting yourself a nice cookie every now and then loosens you up."\nFood and sleep help avert the adverse effects of negative stress, said Anne Reese, director of health and wellness education at the IU Health Center. The key is to maintain normal habits during stressful times.\n"Right now, it's like putting a Band-Aid on something," she said. "Try to get enough sleep and try to do the things that normally keep you balanced. If you can't exercise for an hour, take a 15-minute walk. But do something to try to keep your body in line."\nStudents who feel stressed out can contact IU's Counseling and Psychological Services or visit the CaPS office in the IU Health Center. \n-- Contact staff writer Mike McElroy at mmcelroy@indiana.edu.