Above: Brandon Busick studying for his upcoming final. Photo courtesy of Grant Ward.
As finals week approaches, students at St. Ambrose are preparing for their tests, projects, and presentations. Yet some students have found that their preparations have led to negative impacts on their mental health, specifically with stress and anxiety.
SAU Counseling Center’s Amber Dopler, the mental health outreach and prevention specialist on campus, says, “Stress looks different for everybody…it keeps us in this state of hyperarousal or hypervigilance keeps us out of our lives. We’re kind of responding to the first things in our minds making it difficult for us to express things.
“During finals week your brain has a lot of content…during that week some people don’t do things such as getting enough sleep or exercising.”
Digital media production major Cooper Alt says his finals “Are all over the place…a few video editing ones, working on a paper that I might make a video for…and then a couple tests for my easier classes also a test for volleyball of all things…video editing is a passion of mine so I’m excited to get into it, writing is significantly less so…especially since I need to go around and talk to people…and the tests are annoying but I’ll get past them.”
Emily McAvan, a graduate student in occupational therapy, is in a similar situation.
“This current semester I have one exam, one project, and three practicals…I tend to prefer
practicals because I am a hands-on learner, so practicals where I have to demonstrate a skill are
easier for me than exams. Projects aren’t my favorite, but it is nice that they are something I can use my notes on…I don’t dislike exams, but I do like the one-and-done nature of exams because it keeps me from stressing.”
Both Cooper and Emily say their lives outside of school have been affected by their finals. Cooper says he’s “…almost constantly working on stuff whether it’s looking for information or getting out to record or edit, so I’m not having much time to myself to relax, which I’ve tried to adjust even a little bit recently to alleviate the stress buildup.”
Emily says “As the last weeks of the semester are coming to a close, I find that my workload has increased significantly. Due to this, I always have something to work on and am constantly doing homework or studying for something. This leads to me not doing things I would regularly do. For example, I have pushed going to the gym to the side to put all my energy towards school.
“I have been the most stressed for my last practical because it is over all the skills we have learned this school year. Due to how skill-based Occupational Therapy is, there are quite a few things I need to know inside and out for that practical.”
Luckily Cooper and Emily have found their own ways to relax. Cooper plays “Games that are low stress or I can mess around with friends in…
“One I love to play is “Lethal Company” because some insane shenanigans can happen, otherwise I play “Final Fantasy 14” because I absolutely love the character I’ve created in that game or watch videos, streams, or anime whenever I’m not able to do those other things.”
Cooper says he doesn’t believe his methods have been beneficial to himself, however. “The way that I kinda keep everything in…I feel like if I went and did some more physically active thing like working out or even just calisthenics in my room I’d feel better to get things off my mind…it just kinda pools up…I felt like I was at a bursting point until I went out to a convention this past weekend, April 27th, and had some fun with friends.”
Emily also makes sure to take time for herself and says her methods are “beneficial to myself and my wellbeing.
“I have a rule where I stop all schoolwork every night at around 8 to 9 p.m. This allows me to have time each day to relax, to do the things I want to do, and just have some me time…by allowing myself time to relax each day, I feel more ready the next day to get what I need to get done and overall am in a better mood day to day.”
Other students have found more difficulty with finals. SAU marketing and psychology major George Rothbardt has been overwhelmed because “I don’t have enough time to study evenly for all of my finals which just has me picking some finals over the others because of how hard they are…one of my professors told the class that his final is open note and open book because it’s just that hard…I’ve lost motivation in trying to study for that.
“I don’t have much time to relax because I’d prefer to finish with good grades, so I keep pushing myself and I’ll let myself rest once school is out.”
According to Amber, “Students tend to use the language of ‘I don’t have the time to relax’. But if they don’t do those things then everything will be harder…it’s important to keep track of ourselves and our needs to function at the level we want to. Take a walk, lay in your bed for 30 minutes…do something to help your brain be prepared.
“It’s also important to take breaks and do them in a way that you know will help you. You can also connect with somebody else or have a person with you when you’re studying…
“We all have mental health…it’s important to see how we’re struggling and look at the points in which we need to start seeking help.”
Amber has started academic stress workshops on campus to help students understand more about their mental health. “When we feel stress, our brain gives us very limited options: to fight, to flee, or to freeze. The workshops help students understand what a stress response feels like in their body breaking down what mental health is and what it isn’t and giving resources to people who’re struggling with their mental health.
“If you really feel like somebody is struggling…it’s important to remind them of their strengths. To point out how hard they’re working and show them what their resources are…it’s normal to need help at different times in our lives. It doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t make you incapable.”
As finals continue, it’s important to keep track of your mental health and well-being. For more information and services provided by the St. Ambrose Counseling Center, visit the Counseling Center on Experience at https://experience.elluciancloud.com/sau/page/counseling_center
Grant Ward is a staff writer for The Buzz.
