Southeast community discusses how to best combat final exam stress

With the clock ticking toward finals week, many Southeast Missouri State University students may find themselves overwhelmed with stress.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, signs that finals are becoming stressful for a student include increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, sweaty skin, feeling anxious, a general sense of fear and changes in appetite or sleep.

Students may be stressed simply because of finals week, but also for a combination of higher academic demands, changes in social life, financial responsibilities, being away from home and even preparing for life after graduation.

According to a University of California at Los Angeles survey of college freshmen, more than 30 percent of them claim to feel overwhelmed, hopeless and unable to function. To keep stress levels down, students are encouraged to steer clear of alcohol and drug intake. A substance like alcohol adds to swelling, headaches and can add to depression.

Sleep can also be important for a student that is facing the blues of finals. It is generally recommended for students to get at least seven hours of sleep nightly. Even just relaxing can be used as a method of keeping personal stress levels down.

According to the UMMC, taking time each day to participate in relaxing techniques such as yoga, imagery or meditation can help contribute to a significant amount of stress loss.

Exercise should also be used as an effective distraction from stressful events as well as to reduce the harmful effects of stress on the body.

Taking advantage of college resources can have an impact on stress levels as well. Seeing a counselor when stress levels are too high or simply getting to know professors could be helpful.

"I know that RHA does a few things when it comes to finals, but it's a lot of campus as a whole," Coordinator for Student Leadership and Residential Experiences Kari Yerington said. "The rec center has a stress buster program on May 6, and what we do is our regular programs and provide money if they want to do something. For example, we can do a grab-and-go breakfast during finals week. Many times students have an early final and they skip breakfast, so we can provide things like that. We do different programs to keep stress levels down like making stress balls. The most popular is the Monday of finals week, we have a late night breakfast at Towers Café and in the University Center."

According to John's Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides energy and it increases concentration in the classroom.

People who skip breakfast are unlikely to make up their daily requirement for some vitamins, and by skipping breakfast students skip out on the energy it provides for activities in the morning.

"When I get stressed out over finals, I just sleep," Southeast student Nile McClain said. "When I can't sleep, I just lay in my bed wishing I was. For most of my finals, they are just written essays or papers, so I find it easier and less stressful to get them done sooner and get them out of the way. I feel the stress when it gets closer to finals week, and I can kind of feel myself freak out a little. When I do get that way I just lay in bed to calm down because sleep is my best stress reliever."

Finals can be one of the most stressful times in a student's life. Some ways to beat the stress are to avoid stressful people, eat healthy and exercise, stay away from harmful substances like drugs or alcohol, take breaks and most importantly, remember to study.