Opinion
Freshman suggests methods for handling finals stress
December 13, 2007
Congratulations freshmen, we’ve made it through our first semester as college students. I’m definitely feeling the stress that everyone has always talked about. With projects, presentations and tests it seems like we hardly have time to breathe. It’s easy for us to get carried away and forget what’s really important here: our own well-being.
We must keep in mind that stress really runs the body down—not only mentally, but physically as well. Organization is one way to cut down on stress and keep your thoughts in order. With so much to remember, it is really helpful to use those planners the school provided for us during Weeks Of Welcome. Making lists helps you visualize what you need to do and allows you to check off tasks as you finish them, flushing them from your minds.
With assignments abounding, relaxation and fun is the last thing on some of our minds. However, it is still important for each of us to allow for some “self” time. As I sat down to write this column, my mind was stuffed with the 101 things I needed to get done between now and finals. I called my dad to vent a little. He told me to stop taking life so seriously.
“There will come a day when your boss is breathing down your neck to get a project done, and you’ll be wishing you were back in college with your list of things to do,” he said.
After thinking about it, I decided that he was right. For me, self-time involves a large number of things, such as dancing in my dorm room when no one is watching.
Sleeping is another necessary part of our personal health. I used to roll my eyes at my teachers in high school who would tell me that college was a whole lot of late nights with a book and multiple cups of coffee, but they weren’t kidding. As I sit through class in this last week of school, I feel my eyelids fall and my head drop. But it’s okay to sleep. We all need to keep this in mind and not feel guilty for the extra hour we could have studied. Are you going to remember something you studied at 1:30 a.m. anyway?
Good luck with your last week of the semester. Keep your thoughts organized and be sure to get enough sleep. Enjoy your friends while you are still with them, and even more, enjoy your time to relax for the next month. Have a good break, Falcons, and be safe.
Linda Abel is double-majoring in marketing communications and business communications with an emphasis in professional organization. In her free time she likes to dance, watch movies, hang out with friends and spend time with family.