The Knox Student

As the term winds down, your stresses to finish the term are likely growing. This on top of the doldrums of the winter season can push the limits on your mental wellness. We here at The Knox Student hope to remind you of ways to beat the stress.

It is easy to feel isolated at Knox during finals, but there are numerous people you can reach out to. If you are struggling in your class, find your professor; they are more than likely to help you with an extension on a paper or study tips for your coming test. They are human beings and you are more than a number to them.

All the offices will hold regular office hours during finals and students can go find support from the Office of Student Development or the Dean’s Office. After hours, students can call Associate Dean Lori Haslem at (309) 351-4107 with any academic issues. Also Dean Haslem’s office will be open on Saturday, March 10 from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to provide academic support during the last day of finals.

If things become too stressful and you are in need of counseling help, the Student Health Center will have regular hours on Thursday, March 8 and Friday., March 9 and students can go to Prompt Care if help is needed after hours.

Possibly most important is your friends. Your friends can be a very important part of your finals stress relief. From helping you study, to listening to you rant, you almost undoubtedly have more than one that can spare some time to help you. They are also more than able to help you have a brief escape from studies.

Some personal stress relievers that you can partake in can include stepping away from your computer, taking a walk or going to workout. While Facebook or Hulu can be seen as a relief from your work, it doesn’t help rest your mind and your eyes like stepping away from the computer does.

You might be trying to pull an all-nighter to finish a paper or cram for an exam, but we suggest sleep will do you better. A few hours of sleep can invigorate your brain and you will be more productive after that rest. Also, your mind will likely better retain and retrieve information when you’re an hour in to your test and you need that extra bit of information.

If you find your roommate to be distracting or detrimental to your productivity there are places you can escape to. The well-known study locations such as the Seymour Library or the Gizmo may work for you, but finding a less know location might prove to have fewer distractions. Find a quiet corner in CFA, a less crowded computer lab or a quiet location in the SMC library. Also be more creative and find a strange place that no one else knows, maybe the underground steam tunnels if you can find an open door.

Studying off campus can also be a nice break from the Knox bubble. The Beanhive will be having extended hours on Wednesday, March 7 until midnight and on Thursday and Friday until 10 p.m. to give you ample time to pick up a coffee and study. Other coffee shops or eateries including Q’s Cafe and Innkeepers are additional locations to look at to study at.

The staff of The Knox Student wishes you the best of luck during finals. Keep positive, breathe, relax and be productive. You made it this far in the term; just a few more days until spring break.