Health service offers stress reduction resources

With final exams scheduled to begin Sunday, Dec. 16, the workload for many UW–Madison students is steadily increasing. Added stress, anxiety and pressure frequently accompany the final round of tests, research papers and presentations.

In addition, finals-related stress may be intensified this year due to the events of Sept. 11 and the war in Afghanistan, says Rob Sepich, University Health Services team manager for student relations. Sepich says UHS is seeing an increase in the number of students seeking advice on how to make it through the tough time.

“There’s been a general increase of anxiety among students and staff,” he says. “Students who were having emotional problems before Sept. 11 often had world events exacerbate those symptoms.”

However, Sepich says students don’t have to deal with those feelings by themselves. UHS offers numerous tips and resources for students feeling stressed-out, run-down or unhappy. They range from simple stress reduction techniques to stress forums and meetings with professional counselors.

Counseling and Consultation Services, an arm of UHS, will conduct a free workshop titled “Stressbusters: Relaxation Skills to Flourish During Finals” at 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, and again Monday, Dec. 10. Sessions will be held in Room B160 of the Counseling and Consultation Services Building, 905 University Ave.

Students interested in conducting a free one-on-one session with a counselor should call (608) 265-5600 to schedule an appointment. Students can call the same number to schedule 50 minutes of massage therapy for $30.

In more serious situations, students involved in personal crises, traumatic situations and campus emergencies are asked to call (608) 265-5600 or (608) 265-6565 after hours, to be contacted by an on-call counselor.

Sepich also offered numerous stress-reduction tips to students who don’t feel they need UHS assistance at this time. Among them:

• Set realistic goals of what needs to be accomplished and what can be achieved. Unrealistic expectations will produce a burden of stress and anxiety.
• Get enough sleep. All-nighters are a part of finals lore, but studies have shown the brain remembers better and functions more efficiently with at least four to six hours of sleep.
• Eat right. A diet of pizza and Mountain Dew diet will probably compound feeling rundown and reduce the ability to stay focused on studying. Balance, variety and moderation in a diet provides more energy.
• Take short breaks to avoid feeling overloaded.
• Take a break from television news and newspapers.
• Finish one task at a time instead of tackling many problems at once.
• Reduce comparisons to other students. Try to compare performance in class only against yourself and previous semesters.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Turning to friends, professors or UHS for help in coping is a sign of strength, not weakness.

More UHS stress-reduction tips.

More on counseling and consultation services.

Tips for faculty and staff members dealing with students in stressful situations.