‘Twas the night before finals...
and all through the dorms, not a student was sleeping not even a one.

Story by Natasha Terc
Art by Correy Jefferson

It’s April at TCU, and the stress is on full blast. Brains are flying wild with visions of term papers and finals soon to come, and droopy-eyed students clad in plaid pajama pants and flip flops seem to be the trademark for lecture classes.

While hopping to a local bar may to many seem the natural stress-buster from cramming and pounding out term papers, for some students, numbing anxiety with alcohol should not be an alternative to effective time management, nutrition and exercise, said Monica Kintigh, licensed professional counselor at TCU.

Kintigh said April is generally the month for high stress.

“Students are worried about losing financial aid, their living arrangement or what they’re going to do over the summer,” Kintigh said.

Lack of concentration, irritability and increased heart rate are all symptoms of being stressed, Kintigh said.

“The more decisions you have to make in a day and the more things you have to do, even if you like to do them, can cause stress,” Kintigh said. “The Health Center will sometimes see more people (in April) for headaches and other symptoms of stress. Although the pain is real, it’s just from stress.”

Linda Moore, associate professor of social work, said stress usually sneaks up on people.

“All of a sudden, it’s hard to get up in the morning and you find yourself taking longer and longer to get ready and get where you’re going,” Moore said.

Moore has experienced stress not only as a professor, but also as a social worker. Burnout is a term used especially in helping professions, she said.

Some symptoms of burnout include fatigue, chronic illness, negativity and anger, according to the International Journal of Psychiatry.
“I think we have to be especially careful of cynicism,” Moore said. “You find yourself making comments you thought were funny, but when you listen to yourself, you realize you’re being cynical.”

Rayner Smith, a senior business management major, said he is generally a relaxed person.

“I drink a lot, though,” Smith said. “It’s a release for me to forget all the stuff that’s going on.”

Smith said he has been burned out his whole five years in college, and now he just wants his diploma.

“At this point, I care about school zero,” Smith said. “I’d take a lower letter grade in any class if I didn’t have to take the final. ‘D’ stands for diploma.”

To celebrate after graduation, Smith is throwing a crawfish boil.

“College has been a paid vacation,” Smith said. “I’m sure once I start working, it’ll be lots more hectic.”

Moore said she can tell when the stress from the end of the semester has caught up with students.

“It’s interesting as a faculty member to watch the students who usually dress up and wear makeup to class,” Moore said. “By the end of the semester, it’s sweats and T-shirts.”

Kintigh said there are strategies students can follow to balance stress in college. Planning a to-do list for the week, breaking down tasks into manageable pieces, eating, sleeping and exercising right are all ways to beat stress.

“Another important thing is to find ways to laugh at life,” Kintigh said. “If you don’t have two or three good belly laughs a day, you’re probably holding a lot of stress in. A friend of mine says, ‘if you can laugh about it a year from now, laugh about it now.’”

Sometimes people turn to alcohol to avoid dealing with stress because they do not have a clear set of goals to get them through it, Kintigh said.

“We all have a little addict in us, whether it’s eating chocolate ice cream or drinking too much,” Kintigh said. “Some people think if they avoid the pain, it’ll just go away.”

Dave Mitchell, owner of the Pub on University Drive, said he sees a noticeable drop in business during the week when students are feeling the pressure.

“Anytime there are tests, projects and deadlines, we see a drop-off,” Mitchell said. “The kids don’t come in. They’re doing the right thing.”

Mitchell said last week and the week after Spring Break were slow, but business has remained strong on the weekends.
“More often than not, Thursday through Saturday they blow it out here,” Mitchell said.

Kintigh said using friends as support systems is an important way to get through stressful times.

“It’s certainly better than going to the bars,” Kintigh said.

Stress management is as necessary for faculty as it is for students.

“It’s important for us who are working with students to find ways to refill our own cups,” Kintigh said. “We have to appropriately manage our stress so we’ll be good role models for our students.”

Moore said it helps her to exercise and cut back on tasks when she feels overwhelmed.

“Sometimes you just have to say ‘stop it’ and do something else,” Moore said. “And sometimes you have to lower your expectation level and accept that you’re doing the best you can.”

Natascha Terc
n.f.terc@student.tcu.edu