Finals are around the corner which can only mean one thing: stress. Students can get particularly stressed as the end of the semester approaches because of final projects, exams and papers that are introduced to our workload. More and more work is being added to our day to day lives and as a result, stress and anxiety can appear. Luckily, there are ways to combat these overwhelming reactions during this stressful time of year.

Photo Illustration by Colton McCracken

Feelings like stress can lead to issues that no student wants to experience, including low grades, dropped courses, a disruption in education and others. As finals approach, I’m getting more work from my classes as well as final projects and papers. Stress is something that I experience a lot when it comes to school work and grades, and the closer the end of the semester gets, the more stressed I get. Fortunately, Keene State College has a lot of resources for stress management for students. Coordinator of Wellness Education Tiffany Mathews said our school offers plenty of help from The Center for Health and Wellness as well as in each residence hall. Mathews also works in Residence Life, and assured that there is no shortage of help available to any student who needs it.

“In the dorms, each Resident Assistant [RA] is trained to work with students and their stress or anxiety and can help them to access the resources that the school offers them,” Mathews said.

The RAs have training in these issues, but are also a resource within themselves. By helping to form a community within their buildings, they already help students get a step closer to lowering their stress. Along with this, Matthews also said that The Center for Health and Wellness can give students tips to decrease their stress as well. Things like exercise, a better night’s sleep and a healthier diet are all things that can help decrease stress, and The Counseling Center, located on the third floor of KSC’s Elliot Center, can guide students through it all. They even offer access to a nutritionist, who is available to talk to if students feel that a better diet would help them with this stressful time.

KSC has plenty of resources for students when it comes to dealing with anxiety and stress, not only this time of year, but all year round. The Center for Health and Wellness, also located on the third floor of the Elliot Center at KSC, offers an abundance of opportunities for students, including talking to trained counselors about these issues. The Counseling Center specifically is available to help students with stress and anxiety. The center has a team of mental health clinicians available for KSC students who desire assistance with their emotional, personal, social and developmental questions and problems.

These resources can be accessed through the Keene State College website under The Center of Health and Wellness, as well as over the phone.

I’m very grateful that these resources exist and that they are so accessible to us. Stress isn’t something anyone wants, but it is something that can be dealt with, and KSC can be a huge part of helping to do that.

Zoeann Day can be contacted at zday@kscequinox.com