To stress or not to stress

As term paper deadlines and final examination dates fast approach, students tend to experience tremendous amounts of stress from overwhelming school-related workload. But there is help.

In its third semester, the Cal State Long Beach Stress Management Group has been assisting students who suffer under this cumbersome yoke of stress.

"The primary function of the group is to teach techniques to cope with stress," said Bettina Delgado-Collins, a psychologist at the University Counseling Center.

The group divides its stress management techniques into three categories: physiological, emotional and behavioral.

At the physiological level, Delgado-Collins said the group provides relaxation techniques that will help curtail stress, such as deep breathing techniques, stretching exercises, massage therapy, how to eat a well-balanced diet and how to practice the ancient Hindu exercise, yoga.

"In the breathing exercises, one must take three deep breaths for a count of 5 to10 seconds," Delgado-Collins said.

She said before taking an examination, students can also perform warm-up exercises similar to what they do before playing a sport.

"The healthier the body, the more it can withstand the physiological pressures caused by stress," she continued.

For emotional-related stress, Delgado-Collins maintains that relaxing the emotions can be just as important as relaxing the body in an attempt to mitigate stress. Taking the time to talk with a child or a friend, expressing repressed feelings, laughing, crying or reading a humorous or sorrowful book can help release anxieties and frustrations.

Delgado-Collins said students should also practice time management in order to reduce heavy piles of work and finish projects and other responsibilities efficiently.

"Don't procrastinate and no overload of work will trouble you," she said.

The third category attempts to reduce behavioral problems caused by stress, such as feelings of anxiety and difficulty concentrating or remembering things.

Delgado-Collins said frustrated students should take regular relaxation breaks over the course of the day by taking a walking or performing two minutes of deep breathing.

"Everyone should do this," she said, "because we are humans and not power-driven machines."

The psychologist also emphasized that one should practice cognitive refraining, which is relegating a pessimistic thought into an optimistic statement.

"Instead of thinking that they will fail, students should ask themselves what they can do to solve or redress the problem," Delgado-Collins said.

The Stress Management Group meets every Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the University Counseling Center in the Administration Building.