Counseling available for stressed students

By Lyndsey Shinoda
Daily Forty-Niner

With finals here and the holidays lurking right around the corner, Cal State Long Beach students have more stress on their plates than a Christmas ham.

The staff at Counseling and Psychological Services is here to help. With the increased stress that many students are experiencing at this time of year, the number of people going to CAPS also increases, according to staff psychologist Carrie Jo Johnson.

"We have a lot of people coming in for test anxiety and stress," Johnson said. "Then holidays bring up family issues."

Johnson said students are invited to make an appointment at any time. Each session lasts 50 minutes, and students are allowed 10 sessions per school year free of charge.

Johnson offered this advice on how students can deal with stress.

"I suggest taking one thing at a time, and eliminating things that don't need to be done vs. focusing on what needs to be done," she said. "Let things go, make a list and prioritize."

Ryan Mortensen, a junior creative writing major, does just that.

"I try to take things one at a time and spend as much time with friends as possible," Mortensen said.

Drinking and smoking are negative ways to relieve stress, Johnson said. She suggested doing things that are healthful, such as exercising, deep breathing, taking time to relax and being with people who are supportive.

"Responsible drinking is the way we recommend, but we certainly don't suggest alcohol as a way of solving problems," Johnson said. "It affects concentration and memory, and then you can't perform well on tests."

Junior communications major Craig Montgomery prefers to deal with his stress by himself.

"I hate this time of year, it's so stressful and I can't deal with it," Montgomery said. "It's too much. I just need to be alone."

Mike Minyard, a senior liberal studies major said slowing down helps relieve his stress.

"When you stress, it's because you've got a lot of things on your mind," Minyard said. "If you take one thing at a time and get them knocked out, then your stress will lower."

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