Anxiety, stress tests offered today

As mid-term exams, spring break and graduation fast approach, the stress and anxiety college students battle every day begins to build. \nFrom 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, the IU Counseling and Psychological Services will offer stress and anxiety screenings in the main lobby of the Herman B Wells Library, the lobby of the education building and in Gresham Food Court. People who attend the screenings can take a pencil and paper test concerning stress. A counselor will then score the test and give feedback on its results. The screenings will be free for anyone on campus and will offer information on how a person can cope with stress and anxiety. \n"Students should come (to these screenings) because it's important to learn more about the cause of stress, how they can prevent it from becoming a problem and how to cope with it," Chris Meno, a psychologist at CAPS, said. "This screening is really beneficial now because this is the time of year when students really begin to feel \noverwhelmed." \nIn 2004, the American College Health Association conducted a survey of 47,000 students and found that 94 percent have felt overwhelmed at some point. The survey also found that 45 percent of these students had felt so depressed they found it difficult to function. \nThese statistics demonstrate the importance of why students should understand and prevent stress that could lead to serious problems such as suicide and depression. The same survey found that 10 percent of students had seriously considered suicide and 63 percent had felt hopeless at some point. \nThere are several psychological and environmental stressors that plague the lives of college students every day, Meno said. \n"Students don't get enough sleep or exercise. They set high standards for themselves," Meno said. "Students can become stressed because of finances or family worries, and just the normal academic demands they have to deal with, especially at this time of year, are all things that affect the amount of stress college students may have." \nSophomore Sean Kase said most of his stress comes from balancing academics with his work schedule. \n"Usually I just get stressed about having to write a paper or study for an exam," Kase said. "Then I stress out about work. I'm used to working 15 hours a week, but next week I'll start working 30 hours a week. It's a lot to stress out about." \nMeno said it's easy for \nstudents to let stress get out of control.\n"When you can't fall asleep at night or you keep waking up in the middle of the night, you have a low appetite, or increased crying for no reason, then you're showing signs that stress is getting out of control and it's to the point you need to reduce the stress in your life," Meno said. \nJunior Stephanie Gesse said she can tell when her stress becomes a problem because she experiences headaches and mood swings.\n"I get really moody, and I take it out on a lot of people," she said. "I'll let the everyday little stuff get to me and will just have fits of rage."\nStudents can avoid experiencing these symptoms a number of ways, Meno said. \n"Research says getting regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to cope with stress," Meno said. "Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, staying away from drugs and alcohol and doing relaxing things every day even if it feels like you don't have the time are all ways students can prevent themselves from becoming too stressed." \nStudents who realize stress is becoming a problem in their lives have a number of options available to them to cope with the problem. Not only does the University offer stress management classes every semester, CAPS offers two free sessions per semester for students to consult a counselor. \n"One of the most common reasons students come in (to CAPS) is for stress and anxiety," Meno said. "There's this myth on campus that we only deal with very serious issues, but that's not really true. It's perfectly common and acceptable for students to come in with issues like becoming overwhelmed with stress"