By Ellie McCartney
As students approach the end of the semester, it is common to see signs of stress appear on campuses like the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).
Joseph Allen, associate professor and psychology at UNO, said that stress is caused by having too much to do without the time, energy or capability to do it. For most students, the thought of finals week and all the studying and projects that come with it, can be overwhelming.
“Stress negatively affects everyone, not just students, and in generally the same way. It uses up our cognitive, physical and emotional resources,” said Allen. “So, when stress, caused by any number of things (e.g. coursework, family problems, health, etc.) happens, it saps resources making students less able to complete their work for their education.”
Not only can the negative effects keep us from doing our homework properly, but it can also have physical and mental effects as well, such as general fatigue, sleeplessness, headaches, stomach aches, sudden illness, inability to concentrate, “writer’s block,” easily angered or easily saddened said Allen.
That’s why it is so important for students to be aware of these signs of stress and find outlets to help them cope. Although UNO offers free counseling services for students on campus, Allen said, that very few use them.
“Most humans have the ability to cope effectively, most of the time. But, it’s okay to seek help, because most humans at one point or another also need help from an outside source,” said Allen.
One resource coming up soon on April 24, could be just the trick to give students the kind of relief they need to make it through finals. William Pickett, director of spirit and tradition at UNO said, he started De-Stress Fest four years ago because he felt like it need to be done.
“There really wasn’t a lot here for UNO students and I didn’t see them taking advantage of things during finals week besides the occasional free coffee or extended hours at the library,” said Pickett. “I just felt like it was a need that we needed to start.”
As a week-long series of events De-Stress Fest offers a variety of events, such as petting puppies, playing with baby goats and bubble wands, making your own essential oils and more! Pickett said they do a wide variety of things each year to cover all students needs for stress management.
“I know that every student is kind of different with how they deal with stress,” said Pickett. “We just want to give students the opportunity to have intervals of fun and not thinking about homework or finals… But hopefully this gives people a little bit of a boost to get them through.”
