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Media Credit: yahoo.com Don't let finals stress you out.

With only one week left before finals begin, students are stressing out. There's so much to study and so little time. However, there is a way of surviving this very stressful point in the semester.

To the contrary of what most people believe, stress can be a positive thing. Stress is triggered in circumstances that require a quick response. For example, if an individual is running for their life from a predator, their body will activate the nervous system to keep the individual on their toes, so to speak. The nervous system involved, called the fight-or-flight response, effects the body in many ways to help individuals rise to the challenge in their newly stressful situation.

Students can most likely relate to this if they have ever had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of them, or even if they were in any situation when they thought their lives were in danger. This could also occur right before an exam is going to take place. While this is normal, if there is an excessive response from the nervous system over a long period of time, a problem occurs.

A situation such as waiting to take an important final that may break or make your college career increases the stress response. It increases the response even more if a person is stressed about a task that must be completed within a week. Since a person is most likely focusing on this event, the nervous system recognizes the pressures the individual is feeling. In turn, it allows the stress hormones to remain activated and elevated for a period of time.

In this situation, increasing stress levels are not positive. High levels cause a person to feel exhausted and even overwhelmed. These feelings do not end here if levels are not returned to a normal state within an appropriate amount of time. Since individuals feel stress differently and it lasts longer in different individuals, symptoms will vary. Some that can be seen though include tension, skipped heart beats, stiff neck, diarrhea or constipation, headaches, irritability, and more. So how can students avoid feeling bummed out during finals?

First, students can relax their minds. According to WebMD, in order to do this an individual can use different self therapies like writing, releasing their inner feelings, and performing different mindful activities. Writing feelings is most beneficial when written everyday. This way, if the individual is feeling stressed again, they can refer to their previous writings and find the source of stress and how they dealt with it. Also, writing helps release the feelings that are built up inside.

When people express their feelings it relieves stress and sometimes helps the individual cope. It is usually helpful to speak to those who can be trusted, like family members or even a counselor. Finding meaningful conversations helps a person realize what issues they are having. This can lead to laughter or crying, which are both healthy "natural ways to release tension and frustration."

Different activities for the mind include self-hypnosis, meditation, music therapy and more. Self-hypnosis involves concentrating on inner thoughts and ideas as well as outer tasks that need to be accomplished. By doing this, it is possible that the individual can relieve stress and change the way they will respond to it.

Mindful meditation helps make people "aware of all thoughts, feelings, sounds, or images that pass through [their] mind." As a result, people usually proclaim that they are calmer and able to focus their attention more readily post meditating.

In addition to these mind relaxation techniques, music therapy seems to be helpful. Music therapy helps improve a person's mood and relax their body. Also, it helps set the pace for the day.

Besides relaxing the mind, there are physical exercises that can help relieve stress, such as taking a walk or heading to the gym. Engaging in hobbies also helps. By doing something enjoyable, performing other activities may become more productive.

Trying these simple steps may help lower student's stress levels. Now that students know ways to relieve their stress or how to find ways to cope with it, this next week before finals should be less stressful. Take it one day at a time and don't think about what needs to be done, just prioritize and do it. And remember, that these are simply suggestions and not medical advice. If an individual is feeling stressed and is not able to cope, they can contact the Counseling Center on campus at 914-773-3710.

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