With the countdown to the semester’s end in full swing, Boston University officials say finding campus outlets and focusing on individual practices can help students cope with final exam stress.
Danielsen Institute Clinical Services Director George Stavros said the institute sees an influx of new patients during the time leading up to final exams. He said students become more stressed over these next few weeks because of an increase in academic pressure and the approaching end of a semester.
He also said climate and temperature changes affect students’ moods, as well as the holiday season and its expectations.
“November and December represent a difficult time for the student population,” Stavros said. “Storm clouds are darker this time of year.”
School of Hospitality Administration senior Lisa Lee said finals are the most stressful time of the school year for her because it is the last and usually most important factor in grades.
“I am definitely the most stressed during finals,” she said. “If I’m doing poorly in a class, it’s the last chance I have to pull my grade up to a somewhat acceptable point. There is nothing more stressful than that.”
Psychology assistant professor Mark Richardson said the primary source of stress in college students’ lives is academic demands, and this becomes heightened at the end of a semester.
“The reality of facing many exams or papers at once, the degree to which one experiences a lack of preparation for any given assignment or to which past performance or time management is less than adequate will add to one’s experience of stress or distress during the end of any academic term,” he said in an email.
To help students cope with stress, Stavros said therapists at the Danielsen Institute assess the intensity and causes of students’ stress and devise a treatment plan accordingly. He said therapists typically emphasize better self care for patients and added supports including counseling and talking with peers or professors.
“The most important thing is to share the burden,” Stavros said. “Don’t hold stress alone.”
He also said medication is available for more extreme cases.
While some students may take advantage of university health services including the Danielsen Institute, Lee said she was unaware BU offered such services and uses her own methods of coping with the stress of finals.
“I cope with the stress by making lists and checking things off them when I accomplish something,” she said. “I think it makes me feel better because I know I’m getting things done.”
Stavros said students can prevent or decrease stress by getting enough sleep, eating in a healthy, regular way and having a physical outlet for stress.
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore Amanda Carlson said physical activity and regular sleep patterns help her most to relieve stress.
“Some form of physical activity tends to help me deal with stress, whether it is figure skating or going to [the Fitness and Recreation Center],” she said. “I have also found that getting enough sleep helps me to deal with stress a lot better.”
FitRec yoga instructor Barbara Feldman said 90 percent of her students report taking yoga classes looking to relieve stress. She said yoga combines physical posture, breathing techniques and mind tactics to relax individuals, teaching them to concentrate on the present moment where they are not encountering any stress.
She said yoga classes will teach students ways to relax, but to become efficient at it, continual practice is necessary.
“Yoga is meditation in action and movement,” Feldman said. “You’ll start to see results right away, but it is a lifelong practice.”
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Christen Costello said yoga helps her relax and relieve some stress from academic demands.
“I find that yoga really does help relieve stress,” she said. “You leave the class relaxed and wide awake. The poses loosen your whole body up and we also focus on breathing and thinking about the present only, which gives you time to take your mind away from that huge research paper or exam you have.”
Richardson also said anticipating the end of a semester and the stresses it may bring can help students cope, along with budgeting time to study and complete assignments. He also said it is important for students not to sacrifice nourishment, sleep or relaxation or socialization time.
“The mind and body cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to stress,” he said. “Even during periods when external demands require additional investment of resources – as is common during the end of the semester – these factors are essential.”