Physical effectsWith final exams and the holidays approaching, students are feeling the pressure, both mentally and physically.
Kent Bullis, medical director and physician for the Amelia T. Wood Student Health Center, said he sees students with stress-related health concerns every day, even more so during midterms, finals and the holidays.
Kimberly Gorman, assistant director for training and psychologist at the Counseling Center, said she also sees a greater number of students with stress-related issues during this time of year.
Mental effects
Gorman said everyone experiences stress differently, but some of the most common mental and behavioral stress-related concerns students express include irritability, depression, crying easily, apathetic attitude, inability to concentrate and difficulty focusing.
Jill Vandegriffe, public relations director for Mental Health America of Indiana, said Indiana ranks about 25th in the United States for reported cases of depression.
A 2007 report from Mental Health America showed that Indiana spends about $80 per person annually on mental health services and treatments, she said.
Gorman said the Counseling Center collected data from 2001-2003 from students taking the Burns Depression Inventory.
Thirty-five percent reported borderline depression, 24 percent showed mild depression and 8.3 percent showed moderate to severe depression, she said.
Depression was defined as "when demands exceed one's ability to cope due to physical, emotional, academic, interpersonal or environmental sources," she said.
The therapists at the Counseling Center help students take a look at their problems and find alternative solutions so that they don't repeat the same negative behaviors, Gorman said.
"We figure out what works for them," she said. "That's the most important thing."
Students should also take care of themselves by making sure they get enough sleep, eat regularly, avoid excessive amounts of caffeine and organize their schedule, she said.
Relaxation techniques
Music performance professor George Wolfe, who also practices and teaches meditation, said meditation is an effective way for students to relieve some of their stress during this time in their lives.
Deep breathing can help change the body's metabolic rate and create a sense of relaxation, Wolfe said.
The best time to try progressive muscle relaxation is while lying down, he said. This technique involves tightening and relaxing all the muscles in the body, one at a time, and becoming aware of any tension, he said.
"We get in a state of tension and we don't always realize it," Wolfe said. "Putting the attention on those tense areas and consciously thinking of relaxing is very beneficial."
How to relax
The following process is an easy way for anyone to feel more relaxed.
- Sit down in a comfortable position with the back fully supported.
- Begin taking deep breaths from the abdomen.
- Continue the deep breathing for about five minutes.
- Return to normal breathing and lie down for five to 10 minutes.
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