It's that time again when the semester is ending. Exams andprojects are falling as fast as the leaves, and spring classes arefilling up faster than you can say budget cuts.
The much-discussed budget cuts are putting the pressure onregistration -- and at the worst of times for those preparing forfinal exams.
"I registered at midnight," said senior Jeremy Johnson. "Mybiggest fear was that I would wake up in the morning, and all theclasses I needed would be gone."
Not only is Johnson dealing with registration stress, he said healso has many projects and papers due soon.
Johnson is not alone. For many, this time of year can bestressful, and not everyone knows how to deal with it.
However, the best thing for students to do is make a list ofwhat is most important and the dates of all their end-of-thesemester assignments, said Elinor Grusin, University of Memphisdepartment of Journalism associate professor.
"If you sit there and think about all the things you have to doas a whole, it will make you crazy," she said, advising students tobreak their assignments into parts and form short-term goals.
This type of last-minute stress is not a good standard to set,Grusin said.
"The patterns students set now follow them later in life," shesaid. "Stress results sooner or later in physical illness."
It is most important to remember that whatever the problem, itis not the end of the world, Grusin added.
"You know the saying, 'Don't sweat the small stuff -- it's allsmall stuff.' It's true," she said.
Over time, chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure,muscle pain, stomach and intestinal problems, a weakened immunesystem and even cardiovascular disease, according to WebMD, whichrecommends getting involved in physical activity, writing, talkingabout your feelings and laughing and crying as methods to relievestress.
If students feel the pressure boiling over, they can go to theCenter for Student Development to talk.
"Students can always come in to talk," said psychology internDeadre Holmes, "but it is better to come in before it (stresslevels) gets to the extreme."
One of the biggest problems with stress is ignoring other basicneeds, Holmes said.
"When we get very busy and stressed, we stop eating and sleepingas much, and that is fuel your body needs to deal with stress," shesaid.
Holmes also said students should remember that while they may beexperiencing a setback at the end of the semester, it is onlytemporary.
"College is a race, but it is a marathon not a sprint," Holmessaid. "Persevering is more important.
