Live well in spring
How to combat the stress of final exams without drugs
April 2, 2008
Jessica Anderson
Last week I happened to walk through the Atrium when the Trinity Western University nurses were having a Stress Clinic. How fitting for this time of the year, I thought. I made my way to the counter, signed up, and waited a few minutes before a friendly nurse sat me down, checked my heart rate, and gave me a warm cup of chamomile tea. Then I spent a few minutes on a mat doing pilates with a few other girls. Like magic, the stress slowly began to lift. After 10 minutes, I left the Atrium feeling better about myself and everything else that I had to do that day.
Right now, I don’t know of a single student who is not stressed out. We all have these giant to-do lists, yet there’s so little time left in the semester. Can you believe it? In just a few short weeks, we will be done with our papers and done with our finals. How do we deal with the stress in these last few weeks of classes and finals?
My answer is exercise. Exercise is by far one of the best, most effective stress relievers. This is because exercise decreases cortisol, one of our stress hormones, and increase endorphins and serotonin, our bodies’ feel-good chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost.
Exercise can also be a wonderful distraction by temporarily taking your mind off that to-do list, as it often involves a change of scenery. It is good to take a break from that computer screen and get to a gym, a park, a biking trail, a swimming pool, a neighborhood sidewalk, all of which can be pleasant and low-stress places.
There are so many different ways to exercise. Have you ever tried water aerobics or a spinning class? One of my favorites is Hot Yoga. My roommate goes deep water running at the pool.
Now, if you are not much of an exerciser, the last thing you want to do right now is begin an intensive seven days per week program that will get you ready for bikini season in the next three weeks. That will stress you out even more. But even taking a 20-30 minute walk will decrease your stress levels enormously.
So when you are feeling overwhelmed at this time of the year, a short exercise break just may do the trick. Remember that every minute of physical activity can help you feel better, think better and ultimately get you through these stressful last weeks.
Now you go...
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