Although relaxing for finals may seem like a far-fetched thought, Counseling and Psychological Services thinks it can help. Today at noon in University Hall, Sherry Bene Stevens, marriage and family therapist, will present strategies for calmness and not anxiety. She will also be teaching students skills on how to relax, visualize and how to improve their test-taking strategies. Students will be taken through a visualization of taking their finals, creating pictures of studying and success. Other techniques that will be used are progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
Stress is created when the body adjusts to the external demands placed on it.
The body is constantly seeking to maintain stability and stress is the natural internal reaction to external instability. She advised students to delay, if possible, any serious issues, and let family members know they are going through finals and to ask them for support. Students know that they should be studying their class materials throughout the semester but that doesn't always happen. Jones recommended talking to instructors to get a better understanding of the composition of the test. The guilt factor starts to kick in.