It’s 9 a.m. and my story is due is a few hours. My notes are organized, and the theme is dancing around in my head, ready to flow into words and on to the page. My fingers are itching to type. I succeeded in hunting down almost every person I needed to talk to in order to piece the story together. This will be a great story, except there is a major problem: a chunk of information is missing. The story will be incomplete.

To some, the pressures of turning in a paper on time are low on the priority list. To
others, it is extremely stressful. For a college journalist, an incomplete story due in the next 24 hours guarantees a bout of insomnia. Especially when you know everything would have worked out just fine if Professor So and So had just been willing to give you the time of day and answer a few questions.

As a student, I know I’m not alone in dealing with stressful situations. But what’s
the best way to handle stress? “When papers are due, I don’t freak out,” says sociology major Jesse Vasquez, 19. “If I don’t do it, I don’t do it.”

“ If I’m really, really stressed, like I have to write a paper and I just can’t, I will watch
TV or spend more hours than I should on Facebook,” says another City College student, Evan Rothstein.

Although it is a common reaction, avoiding a situation or procrastinating is not the best solution.

“The major stressor for all students is poor time management,” says Dr. Chris Tromborg, associate professor of psychology. “You’ve got to do a better job of using your time, so you’re not worried about things.”

Somebody should remind me of this on a daily basis. I can never get anything done ahead of time. Everything I do barely meets deadline, but I tell myself I work better under pressure. I use the stress to push myself to get things done. Most students develop their own methods of dealing with stress in their lives.

“Definitely painting and drawing really help me out when I’m, like, really stressed,”
says Monica Bosque, 20.

Tromborg says engaging in an activity that allows you to focus is a healthy way of
dealing with stress, such as Bosque does with her art.

“Do yoga, do meditation, allow some time for you to do some of the things that you do for the joy of doing it,” says City College crisis counselor, Bob Garcia.

When I’m on the brink of a deadline, after working all day on three hours of sleep, and I still have not heard from Professor So and So, I tend to have violent thoughts. And then I eat everything in my fridge. I pack my frustration into endless calories, each and every one devoured in rage and desperation.

According to Tromborg, my lack of sleep and overeating tendencies are common but unhealthy, as well as many other overreactions students have to stress.

Garcia says he prefers to see students adjust their perspectives to a more positive frame of reference in order to maximize the possibility of a positive outcome.

“Some people spend, some people engage in lots of promiscuous sexual activities, some people drink, some people stay high, some folks are addicted to anger.” says
Garcia.

Professor So and So finally agrees to an interview—only because I ambush him
at his office. I take stress by the horns after my emotional episodes. This article is done. My stress is over –for now.

10 ways to a stress mess10 ways to a stress mess

1. Skip class to avoid deadlines.
2. Pig out on junk food.
3. Find a friend in Jack Daniels.
4. Sleep the day away.
5. Vent to your friends.
6. Take your aggression and frustration out on an inanimate object.
7. Play video or computer games.
8. Procrastinate by aimlessly surfing the Internet.
9. Have several ‘mini meltdowns’ throughout the day, i.e. crying, whimpering,
etc…
10. Hide out in your room with the door closed and the radio on, loud.1. Skip class to avoid deadlines.

 

10 ways to address stress

1. Face up to it: go to class, and then reward yourself afterwards.
2. Don’t pig out, workout!
3. Don’t hit the bottle; instead, use your friends to help you brainstorm how
to get out of a stressful situation.
4. Wasting the day away by sleeping accomplishes nothing, come up with
a plan of action.
5. Nobody likes a negative Nancy; don’t let your stress eat you up, use that
energy for something positive.
6. Breathe.
7. You live in the real world, so don’t hide out in a virtual reality. Stress
lives there, too.
8. Instead of reading someone else’s blog, start your own.
9. Melt the stress away by taking a hot shower; use that time to clear your mind.
10. Get some fresh air: talk a walk, ride a bike, or spend some quality time
with the stars.