Programs, professors offer stress relief
Monday, November 30, 1998
Programs, professors offer stress relief
PSYCHOLOGY: Students urged to develop coping strategies for test taking
By Jaime Wilson-Chiru
Daily Bruin Contributor
During finals week, thousands of stressed-out students divide their time between staring at textbooks and pounding down sodas in hopes of surviving without a mental breakdown.
However, there are ways to evade the frenzy of studying for finals.
Shelley Taylor, a professor of psychology, suggests that students practice planning for their exams to cope with anxiety and boost problem-solving skills.
"You have to be able to control your emotions," she said. "There are some people who have very good coping skills, and some people have coping skills that are very bad."
Much of Taylor's research deals with developing techniques that can be of use to undergraduates who are dealing with the pressure of studying for midterms and finals
"We try to manage anxiety," she said.
Taylor suggests a method known as "process-simulation," which involves visualization of the actual process of completing certain tasks.
"The critical component is that people focus on the process," said Taylor. "Focusing on the process for getting there is a very good method."
Using this method, students who want to do well on a midterm would imagine themselves studying for the exam. These students would then visualize themselves sitting in a chair, reading the text, declining offers to go out and taking other necessary steps toward reaching their goal.
Some students try to get an early start on their midterms by using this method to avoid procrastination.
"I study a little bit every day, then the day before I pull an all-nighter," said Lia Langi, a second-year physiological sciences student. "I have to, especially being a science major."
Brian O'Camb, a second-year English student, takes a different approach to studying.
"I tend to wait until the night before to go over it all. I'm not worried about it so long as I pass," O'Camb said.
According to Taylor, mental simulations make events seem real and generate problem-solving activities such as planning. By using this method, students tend to reduce their anxiety, improving their test scores.
"I feel like when I open myself up to stress, I just make things worse," said Yumiko Hara, a first-year biology student.
Citing a study about students working on academic projects, Taylor argues people naturally have poor planning skills.
The students who participated in the study displayed unrealistic optimism about their anticipated completion dates, and only one-third of the students surveyed finished their projects by the predicted completion time.
Taylor has conducted several studies that prove the effectiveness of process-simulation. In a 1997 study, she and a then-undergraduate, Lien B. Pham, recruited 77 UCLA students for a study on coping with exams.
The students were selected five to seven days before their first midterm exam. They were trained in mental simulation and told to practice their simulations each day for five minutes a day.
In the end, students using process-simulation achieved higher scores than students not using any strategy.
"What she said about visualization seems to work with the problems in the study," said Dean Dacumos, president of UCLA's Psychology Alumni Association. "Visualizing is what's going to get you to the point."
By this rationale, students with good planning skills are often able to avoid much of the anxiety caused by exams, Taylor said.
"Usually I try to study every day. I try to write out a game plan to study for the test," said Jason House, a fourth-year economics student. "When things don't go according to plan, I start stressing."
Some students go as far as planning months ahead. Amy Kim, a third-year physiological sciences student, studies a week early for her midterms. "I have a plan throughout the whole quarter," she said.
When students fail to plan ahead, they often use various methods to get rid of the tension and anxiety they suffer from.
"In order for me to release stress, I go exercise. Sometimes you just have to write out your thoughts and talk to people," said Leslie San Jose, a first-year undeclared student.
Namita Gupta, a first-year undeclared student, handles stress by "eating lots of candy and drinking Surge."
In addition, UCLA's Student Psychological Services (SPS) offers professional counseling for students who encounter serious difficulties when dealing with personal problems which include exams.
"We provide individual counseling for students, we provide group counseling for students, and we provide outreach programs," said William Parham, the associate director of Clinical Service.
Students usually refer themselves to SPS.
If students are seeking individual counseling, they can call the front desk and schedule an appointment. After 5 p.m., SPS sponsors a student help-line, run by student volunteers and supervised by staff.
According to Parham, students come to SPS for help with a variety of problems.
"Stress certainly is a main (problem)," he said.
"Academics can certainly be a challenge. (The students) have relationship challenges, (and) health challenges may be a component," Parham said.
The SPS Stress Clinic also offers small group workshops for students with problems ranging from test anxiety to low social confidence, all designed to teach students how to manage stress successfully.
"Each person has an individual way of managing their own stress," said McCulley.
The workshops run once a week, and are usually facilitated by Alan Nagamoto, coordinator of the Stress Clinic.
However, some students believe that the best way to relieve stress is to stop worrying altogether.
"If you know that you're stressing, there's no point to sitting there and stressing," Hara said. "I just go out and have fun."PATIL ARMENIAN
Professor Shelley E. Taylor speaks about the relationship among
psychological processes, mental health and physical health.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]
advertise
contact us
top of page
Comments
Post a comment