Breathe in, breathe out.
That’s the strategy that Jane Emmeree, a health promotion specialist with GatorWell, recommends as the best relief for added stress that comes with finals week.
“The goal with managing stress during finals is to understand that even a short break where you take slow, deep breaths or do something effective to decrease the stimulation in your body will help,” she said.
According to Emmeree, stress is a biological and physiological response that alerts the body and puts it into its “fight-or-flight” mode. Actively telling your body to slow down is the best way to get it to relax.
She said stress negatively impacts academic performance because it can cause difficulty sleeping and edgy feelings, affect the ability to concentrate and result in less memory retention. Exercise, meditation, guided imagery, progressive relaxation and listening to music can help, too, she said.
Tina Tannen, a clinical assistant professor with the Counseling and Wellness Center, encouraged stressed students to hone their time-management skills. She suggested looking at where the time is really going: Facebook and other networking sites can cut into study time.
Contrary to the behavior of many college students, Tannen said all-nighters are “kind of a waste of time.”
Studies show sleep deprivation hinders memory because the brain retains information during the sleep cycle, she said.
Lauren Black, an 18-year-old pre-med freshman, said she often pulls all-nighters.
She said she does her best studying during the night and at odd hours when there are fewer distractions.
For Black, the best way to cope with the stress of finals is to just push through.
Emmeree said long-term stress that’s not managed well can lead to future health problems. It can cause the immune system to be more compromised and can ultimately contribute to diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
More stress-reducing tips can be found on the Counseling and Wellness Center’s website.
