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Show Tuesday, December 5, 2006 ...continuedfrom page J, Finals week to be planned, but pizza or Buffalo wings is likely. Dec. 7 is ice cream sundaes day. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, with all of the sundae fixings, will be available for students and faculty in the Shaw k Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the past, three containers of ice cream have been consumed. But perhaps the activity most students look forward to is the free massages on Dec. 8 by licensed massage therapist Daniel Olsen. The massages will be available in Shaw from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The masfive-gall- on basis. This is Olsens third year working at Westminster during finals week. Its a really great experience for me, says Olsen. The students appreciate the massages during finals. After a weekend of students cramming for tests, Less Stress Week resumes on Monday, Dec. 11. Yoga instructor Jacqueline Morasco will lead a class in the Health, Wellness & Athletic Center from 11 to 11:45 a.m. After the session, students can take advantage of indoor cycling or the swimming pool from noon until 1 p.m. sages are first-com- first-serv- ed e, can reduce stress, lower heart rate and reduce anxiety and muscle tension." Yoga -- Elizabeth Scott, author good at the eleventh hour. Still, decreasing stress even at the eleventh hour can better students chances of performing well during finals week. Stress-bustin- g A to Z offers 26 solutions. and the scent of essential oils may According to The Complete Aromatherapy Handbook, aromatherapy stimulates neurotransmitters that positively effect the brain. The book recommends the scents of bergamot, chamomile, sandalwood, rose and lavender essential oils for stress reduction. The oils are used in candles, bath products, lotions and massage oils. Essential oils can also be used by placing a couple drops on a handkerchief or pillow. All oils and accessories can be found at Wild Oats in Sugar House or at most local day spas, ranging from about $2 to $20. Aromatherapy - Mindful, controlled breathing for is fast and free. The human body has a difficult time relaxing if its inhalations and exhalations are not complete, leading less oxygen to the brain. There are simple ways to relieve that tension: 1. Lie down or sit in a relaxing position. Breathe as you normally would. Lay your hand on your abdomen and make sure it is rising and falling with your breath. 2. Once you start to relax, slowly inhale through your nose until your lungs are full. Counting to five while inhaling helps to relax and pace breath. 3. Slowly exhale through your mouth until your t Photo by K ithlccn Bratihcr lungs are empty. Exhaling takes longer, so count as economic Senior Jake Jennings, a management and major, was walking on a final term paper for hts ECON 31 7 class. high as eight or nine while you exhale. is - lv T T ealthy study habits can raise a final exam during finds. Wear your most Comfort kingclothes while studying and during ex. XjL graded Try and add at least one of the recomams. Yes, pajamas, sweats and slippers are allowed to class, mended habits to your plan before finals. influence be stress of under the can riving Hold group discussions with your classmates bedangerous. When driving to meet your study fore essay tests on interpretive, written theories like for is final exam, it easy your mind grouper to take that philosophy or business. Different perspectives of the others You wander. that are to driving may get uptight subject may make it easier to write about during a test. too slowly, Check your body position to make sure your Quit studying one hour before you go to sleep. . shoulders ate back, shoulder blades are resting on your You will give your brain time to process the informacar seat and the back of your head is touching the headtion and your sleep will be more restful. rest. It may help more than you think When writing term papers on the computer, provides a way for bodies to release mindfiil be of how long you sit and how you are sitExercise tasks fitness seems to go pile up, physical ting. Take a break from your computer once an hour, The th is wayside. stretch-o- ut key finding something you enjoy by and let your eyes focus on something else. for chance Fitness while a activity. doing giving your body in care of yourself. During finals Invest itstaking makes you feel stronger, physically and psychologically. hard to say no to invitations. But takis the fuel that keeps your body going. Just rain-cheon some nights out will relieve the ing a Food sure it is the right food. thought, I really should be studying right now. Eat 'a breakfast high in carbohydrates and proaround. Laughter may be the best medicine oatmeal or like with butter a (withJoke stress. Humor acts as a blocking agent teins, bagel peanut out the sugar) and eggs. Carbs helps maintain your against the ravages of panic, says M.D. Norman while level the .throughout morning protein energy Cousins in his book Anatomy of an Illness. It refunction better. brain helps your lieves tension and helps put problems in perspective. Fruit and cheese with water is a healthy Dont feel like laughing? Pretend. You have to start snack without the peak of a sugar spike or somewhere, says psychologist Harry A. Olson, Even sugar crash if it means going through the motions. When studying, eat popcorn or pretzels instead of on going. Remember, finals is only how Keep of track much and candy. Losing you potato chips After Dec. 12, its all over. It may be snacks is easy when easier to reduce the stress if have eaten of small you keep in mind how flash-cartextbooks. or on are focusing your close winter break is. you Caffeine- - Its OK for most people to have a sendown for a power nap to give sible amount of coffee, says Roberta Larson Duyff, brain time itself and make study author of the American Dietetic Associations Comtime more beneficial. You dont have to fall asleep, plete Food and Nutrition Guide. Have a latte with but make sure you are not intermpted, said Sally low-f- at milk; that way you still get the protein hit. Kinnes in her article How to Handle Exam Stress. a massage. Before or after finals, getting cope massage can be beneficial (see The Forum, found Touch Institute Oct. 31, 2006). A recent study decreases tired. we that when medical school students received -BACCHUS and GAMMA massages twice a week they were able to soke comPeer Education Network plex math problems more quickly and accurately than those students not receiving massages. Massage has In a study conducted by the Meditate.Wisconsins the benefit of inducing a relaxed state of awareness, W.M. Keck Laboratory says massage therapist Thomas Claire in his book for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, meditaBodywork What Type of Massage to Get. tion was found as a booster to the brain. Buddhist Breathing- , On Dec. 12, the last day of finals, there will be fun, games and fur in the Shaw Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The stress-relitable will be set up with enough board for Students to take a games, puzzles and break In addition to the games, Feme and his wife Mer-ridi- th will bring their two dogs, Daisy, a cockapoo, and Oliver, a silky terrier, for a stress-reli- ef therapy session. ef play-dou- gh Stop by and take advantage of the events, says Feme. Who doesnt like ice cream or free massages? A to Z: A Students Guide to Reducing Finals Freak-O- Stress-Buste- rs ut The you are, the less anxiety you will experience, says Kathy Couillard, director of the Westminster counseling center. Stress prevention should be part of our everyday life. Some stress is good because it motivates us to study, plan and prepare; casually preparing for finals is not in a students best interest, Couillard says. But cumulative stress takes its toll. Some students panic, freak-o- ut and their minds go blank during a test. While the obvious answer to preventing finals stress is to begin studying earlier, the advice is no better-prepar- ed ck mid-afterno- on hand-to-mou- th ds Lie Get 15-min- ute Will Jemison, a junior and business major, completes his intermediate algebra homework. Page 6 15-min- ute to-res- et Our ability to function and when are Volume XL: Issue 8 |