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Wednesday,
August 29, 2001
It’s
raining stress
Studies, activities can be balanced to avoid
overload
Story by Monique Bhimani •
Illustration by J. Kent Ladewig
For some,
stress drives students to work harder. The more that is thrown
at them, the more they crave. But for other students, balancing
time is an art to be mastered.Entering campus organizations
is beneficial to students because organizations can offer
more opportunities and expertise to benefit future careers.
After
all, that is half of the college experience. However, some
students find extracurricular activities combined with a full
load of classes lead to excessive amounts of stress.
“I
really get stressed out when many assignments start to overlap
each other,” said Holly Houston, a freshman international
business major. “But (stress) actually helps me work
harder or otherwise I’d probably never get anything done.”
Monica
Kintigh, a licensed professional counselor for the TCU Counseling
Center, said the more decisions there are for a student to
make, the more stress is caused.
“A little anxiety can keep us focused, but when it immobilizes
you is when it becomes a problem,” Kintigh said.
Real signs
of stress, such as frequent headaches, dizziness, stomachaches
and fatigue, can be the physiological ways of the body responding
to high stress levels, said Kintigh. Experts at Stanford University
recommend to lower stress one could exercise more, eat healthy
foods and take less stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine.
“To
relieve stress, a student could try using breathing techniques,
meditation, listening to relaxing instrumental music and above
all to keep a sense of humor,” Kintigh said.
Anyone
can avoid becoming overwhelmed with stress. According to Stanford
University research, even simple things like talking to a
close friend or putting together a set daily schedule can
decrease the amount of stress in one’s life. Mandi McReynolds,
a junior religion major, said students need to achieve a healthy
balance between school and extracurricular activities in order
to stay stress-free.
“Too
many people are too focused on getting a 4.0 (GPA) and taking
harder courses to get into grad schools,” McReynolds
said. “But it is important to get involved on campus,
if only in one or two organizations. Most importantly, at
some point you have to stop studying and get out of your room
and talk to other people.”
Information
on time management, stress and ways to avoid burnout are available
at the TCU Counseling Center, Center for Academic Services
and Campus Life Ministries. The Counseling Center also offers
pamphlets on stress management and relaxation techniques.
Not everyone
can handle the same amount of stress. While some limit themselves
to 12 semester hours and a single activity, others want to
take on the world each day. Still, before it feels like burning
out from stress, it would be a good idea to get some professional
advice before curling up into the fetal position in a corner
of your room.
Monique
Bhimani
m.s.bhimani@student.tcu
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