Students are managing their stress as finals week nears and the work loads increase.

Some prefer a more active method to release their tensions brought on by a busy schedule of long nights and energy-drink consumption to make the grade.

Patrick Meister, junior public health major, tries to work out everyday.

“I like to work out when I’m stressed; it helps me to relieve stress and makes me feel good about myself,” Meister said.

Others prefer alternative methods of taking the mind off work.

“I like to relieve stress during finals week by eating more cake and candy and all that,” said sophomore biology major Neha Chug. “It’s like my comfort food and makes me feel better.”

Others find refuge in TV.

“I watch ‘Family Guy’ because you don’t need a brain to watch it,” said sophomore pre-nursing major Sona Shah. “If I’m stressed, I’m going to do bad on my exams, so I need time to take my mind off of things and refresh myself.”

While students may have their own methods to relieve their stress, various tips and aids will be offered to assist their relaxation.

Steve Lux, health educator with the Health Enhancement Department, has been aware of the hardships students endure around this time and has made an effort to raise stress-relief awareness.

“Because most college students don’t have health on the forefront of their consciousness, they might [stress out] around this time because now is the time to do it because if you’re going to be ready for finals, you need to be right now,” Lux said.

As part of his effort, Lux has released a checklist of items to be aware of so students can act at their optimal performance.

Glenda Smith, instructor in the Kinesiology and Physical Education Department, teaches a stress management course for kinesiology majors.

In the course, students learn about the physiology and psychology of stress, anger and fear, along with stress-prone and stress-resistant personalities and coping techniques.

“The best relaxation techniques are things like massages, which you can get here on campus at the Rec; meditation, which raises your level of awareness and helps you to settle down; biofeedback training and yoga are great for relieving stress too,” Smith said.

Smith also recommended to students to be active when taking breaks or to work out before or after studying.

Research has shown that physical activity helps to retain more information Smith said.

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