By the end of the semester, it's sweats and T-shirts. Kintigh said there are strategies students can follow to balance stress in college. Planning a to-do list for the week, breaking down tasks into manageable pieces, eating, sleeping and exercising right are all ways to beat stress. If you don't have two or three good belly laughs a day, you're probably holding a lot of stress in. Sometimes people turn to alcohol to avoid dealing with stress because they do not have a clear set of goals to get them through it, Kintigh said.
Some people think if they avoid the pain, it'll just go away.
Dave Mitchell, owner of the Pub on University Drive, said he sees a noticeable drop in business during the week when students are feeling the pressure. The kids don't come in. They're doing the right thing. Mitchell said last week and the week after Spring Break were slow, but business has remained strong on the weekends. Kintigh said using friends as support systems is an important way to get through stressful times.