Finals, oh Finals, how I do not love thee

So, for those of you who are in college that may read this I am hoping that it will help you a little as we enter this time of unfortunate torture. I had to submit an article that will potentially go into my school's newspaper for my last assignment in my journalism class. I could not for the life of me think of a topic. Finally, I concluded that I would write about what was on my mind, and the minds of many of my fellow students, stress. I ended up getting a perfect score on the assignment, that brought my stress down some :) So below I am posting my article.

Story by: Crystal Wilson

            “I feel like I want to yell for no reason” Alix, a freshman at Schreiner University said in regards to the way that she feels when she’s stressed. 

We all feel stressed at one point or another during our semesters here at Schreiner University. Some students find stress in classes, some in extracurricular activities, and for others it is just a matter of putting too much on our plates. The question we need to answer is not how stressed are we but, what is the most effective way to manage our stress?

According to healthline.com the top ten ways to de-stress are, listening to music, calling a friend, talking yourself through it, eating right, breathing easy, laughing, drinking tea, being mindful, exercising, and sleeping better. While all of these options are great, sometimes it may be hard to commit to one, or find the time to make the activity happen, so I looked into what answers students here at Schreiner University have to managing their stress effectively.

“When I’m feeling really stressed I like to take deep breaths, exercise, and look on textsfromlastnightnight.com so I don’t feel so bad about my life”, Allison, a senior at Schreiner said in regards to how she manages stress.

Sophomore, Rebecca said “I take an hour out of my day on Tuesdays to watch my favorite show”.

De-stressing your life doesn’t have to be something that you do alone either. Before the fall 2011 finals, the student activities board hosted, holiday bingo, pictures with Santa, and even a petting zoo. All of these activities would be a great way to de-stress.

“Take it one step at a time, and prioritize. Do one right now, and once that’s over, then start something new. If you try and do it all at once, that’s when it gets overwhelming. Also, the occasional DQ ice cream sundae with best friends helps”, Austin, senior at Schreiner said.

Allison also mentioned that the sorority Alpha Sigma Alpha “did a balloon pop at one point around finals time to help relieve stress”.

While these activities may have happened during finals it doesn’t mean you can’t find a group activity to partake in the rest of the semester to help take a mental break. You can check out Student Activities Board, Greek Life, Volunteer Service, or even Campus Ministry, just to name a few.

So the next time that you’re feeling stressed take a deep breath, figure out what your de-stress tactic is and start feeling better. 

So even if you don't go to my school, I'm sure yours has some form of relaxing activities, or hopefully a good friend that you can depend on.

So I wish anyone reading this good luck on they're finals!