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Thursday, March 19, 1998

In 10 years, will you care

TIME: Stress is a biological reaction to dangerous situations that can

overwhelm students.

So don't panic. Learning takes commitment,

not cramming.

By Adam Wolfson

Daily Bruin Contributor

Feelings of pressure because of too much work are all too common. The thought that there is not enough time to finish that paper permeates almost every student's life at least once.

But why does a person allow the situation get to the extremes? Humans are supposed to learn from their mistakes, right?

"I just get to a point where I feel that I haven't prepared enough," says Autumn Harrison, a first-year undeclared student, "and that makes me not concentrate."

This scenario seems to be a major factor in many student's lives. The almost inevitable buildup of readings, chapters and information is a commonplace occurrence on campus.

"In high school you could slack off and still ace the test," said Daniel Rothblum, first-year Jewish studies student. "You can't do that here."

According to Dr. Karl Hempel, a physician in Florida, stress is the result of a human's natural "fight or flight" response. This response refers to the theory that, as humans evolved, the body had to have a way to react quickly to hostile situations. When confronted with a difficult situation, the human body gets a surge of adrenaline that prepares the body for a physically challenging event.

This response was meant to be used infrequently. Unfortunately, people today often perceive their surroundings as hostile a good part of the time, leading to many physiological changes in the body.

Common symptoms of stress include headaches, insomnia, low energy levels, irritability, poor concentration and the inability to relax. People who are stressed often find themselves constantly clenching their jaws or grinding their teeth. Also, muscle tension is a common result.

If people find themselves with any of these symptoms, it could be an indication that they are overly stressed. The most important thing is to find some way of relieving the stress.

Tom Wheatley, a professor in the theater department, is an expert in preparing actors to be calm. According to him, there are three kinds of stress: physical, mental and psychological. Each one is separate, but the ways to relieve them are all interrelated.

"When studying, you might start to get really stressed and stop concentrating," he says. "If you sit back and stretch and take a few deep breaths, even though that is a physical act, it can help your mental state."

Some ways to relieve stress, according to Wheatley, are meditation (for your mental stress), stretching for the physical and to perhaps "psych yourself up" for the test.

"If you don't believe you can pass that test, you probably won't," he says.

Another problem Wheatley cites is the way students study. If you could be studying all the time, he says, and relaxing all the time, and putting your self in a good mood, it would definitely help. Also, cramming tends to cause more stress and make one do worse on a test.

Some people are lucky. No matter what, they are able to keep the stress out of their lives.

"I never really stress out," says David Samuel, second-year psychology student, "I was always like that. It's just not worth it."

One time, according to Samuel, a paper that he had thought would be finished by Sunday morning took him until right before his class the next morning to finish. He had two tests on Wednesday, but because he thought he would have been done with the paper, he hadn't even started studying.

"At first I started to flip out," Samuel said.

"Then I realized that that was just a waste of time and I got myself going."

Rick Barsh, a fifth-year history student, agrees. "My personal philosophy is, 'Don't be worried, be concerned," he said. "If you stay in touch with reality, you'll get a lot more done."

According to Barsh, he studies by setting realistic goals for himself. In one day, for example, he might tell himself that he wants to finish a chapter and some readings.

"It makes you feel like you've accomplished something," he says.

On their web site, Health and Wellness Dynamics, Inc. elaborate more on this goal-setting by suggesting that the people ask themselves three important questions: How much time do I need? How much time do I have to give? How much interest do I have in this subject?

When people take these questions into account, they are much more able to set goals and, therefore, diminish stress.

In general, stress is a process that affects the whole body. Hempel even uses college students as an example of stress in his "Health Gazette."

"This (stress) causes ... the immune system to begin to falter," he states. "An example of this would be college students studying for finals. They tend to have a high incidence of colds and other infections, because they stay up late and put their bodies through a lot of stress."

If one is able to work on their study habits, mental attitudes and outlook while studying for tests or writing papers, they will be more likely to do well and feel better about themselves.

"If your body is your enemy from the start," says Wheatley, "you're not going to do well - period."