Tips for tackling the end of semester stress

BY BRENNA DEMPSEY / Multimedia Journalist

With the holidays and finals right around the corner, the stress and potential burnout can also follow.

There are different causes for stress on campus as students prepare to take on the end of the fall semester as well as tackling Thanksgiving and Christmas plans.
With everything going on, there can be demands and expectations from friends, family, classmates and professors.

Professors give plenty of class assignments and families often want to spend more time together. This limits how much free time students have as they try to prepare for everything.
Hallie Mayfield believes that both school and home put pressure on her.

“Definitely professors, ‘cause a lot of them like to do their projects and exams right before Christmas break cause it’s the end of the semester,” Mayfield said. “But then family is also wanting me to come home and all of that stuff so yeah, kind of from both ends.”

Finding the right balance between holiday events, family and school can be challenging.

“At first it was really hard to manage but as I’ve kind of gotten older and gone through multiple semesters I’ve kind of found that just taking a deep breath and like planning out what I’m gonna do really helps me get through all of the stress,” Mayfield said. 

Everyone has their own personalized way of handling the stress of the season and it can be beneficial to learn what works for other people.

She finds it helpful to organize all of her thoughts and assignments to limit the overwhelming feeling that can come from all of the things that need to be done.

“I definitely like doing to-do lists cause it helps me stay organized and writing out the due dates of when each thing needs to be completed so I don’t have this big clump of stuff, I can kind of organize it into what needs to get done first, basically priority at the top and [then] later priority at the bottom and just kind of start checking stuff off,” Mayfield said.

Keeping a to-do list can also help students visualize all the work they have completed that they might not realize. For some people, this is a great place to start getting things done and minimizing stress.

Hayden Nowak finds the holidays stressful because she worries about the pressure from family to get presents for everyone while also having personal needs on a college student budget. 

She chooses to work through the stress by getting together with her team to take her mind off things.

“I’m actually a powerlifter on the powerlifting team and so honestly that helps a lot just being able to be with them and kind of forget about everything else and just lift heavyweight like that literally helps a lot,” Nowak said. “I do love to read but I haven’t gotten to as much since I’ve been here, but I know if I set aside time for that would help me a lot, like clear my mind and stuff and I love yoga that’s another thing.”

Focusing on things she enjoys helps her relax and put things off her mind for a moment. This is a great way for students to take a break and refocus on the things that make them happy.
While work, school and family are important, taking the time to focus on some self-care can go a long way toward relieving stress making those other tasks more manageable.

Sometimes the negative aspects of stress can sneak up on people without them realizing it. 

The way people handle stress may be different than the way someone else does. Identifying the things that keep students locked in stress and doing what they can to get themselves out of that headspace is always important.

Adalee Updegraff has worked out a few ways to help get herself out of the feeling.

“I think that with stress, for me, comes like isolation so I’ll just hide away in my room and not want to speak to anybody and just be cooped up in my little safe space,” Updegraff said. 

Something she does to get through the assignments is by getting out of her room.

“My favorite thing to do is to go sit in the library for just hours on end to like force myself to just go sit in there in a study room and just make sure I’m not being just cooped up in my room,” Updegraff said. 
 

It can be difficult to get out of the routines people accidentally set for themselves, but it is never too late to try something new. There is always a chance to find a helpful tactic to release all the stress that builds up.
 

“I think that it’s important to find a good group of people who support you and get out of your room and go just join clubs and explore just anything you can do while you can I think that’s so important,” Updegraff said. 
 

There are different clubs on campus that are available for students to join, there is something for everyone. When students join a club, it gives them the opportunity to meet people who share similar interests and can forge great new relationships. 
 

Finding what works for each person can be a struggle but when people keep looking they are bound to find something that can successfully relieve their stress.
 

Get with some friends and get out of the holiday blues with these tips.
 

Just like how finals and the holidays are part of a season so is the stress so stay strong out there Texans and enjoy the holidays.