Monday, November 30, 1998
Programs, professors offer stress relief
PSYCHOLOGY: Students urged to develop coping strategies for test
taking
By Jaime Wilson-Chiru
Daily Bruin Contributor
During finals week, thousands of stressed-out students divide
their time between staring at textbooks and pounding down sodas in
hopes of surviving without a mental breakdown.
However, there are ways to evade the frenzy of studying for
finals.
Shelley Taylor, a professor of psychology, suggests that
students practice planning for their exams to cope with anxiety and
boost problem-solving skills.
"You have to be able to control your emotions," she said. "There
are some people who have very good coping skills, and some people
have coping skills that are very bad."
Much of Taylor’s research deals with developing techniques that
can be of use to undergraduates who are dealing with the pressure
of studying for midterms and finals
"We try to manage anxiety," she said.
Taylor suggests a method known as "process-simulation," which
involves visualization of the actual process of completing certain
tasks.
"The critical component is that people focus on the process,"
said Taylor. "Focusing on the process for getting there is a very
good method."
Using this method, students who want to do well on a midterm
would imagine themselves studying for the exam. These students
would then visualize themselves sitting in a chair, reading the
text, declining offers to go out and taking other necessary steps
toward reaching their goal.
Some students try to get an early start on their midterms by
using this method to avoid procrastination.
"I study a little bit every day, then the day before I pull an
all-nighter," said Lia Langi, a second-year physiological sciences
student. "I have to, especially being a science major."
Brian O’Camb, a second-year English student, takes a different
approach to studying.
"I tend to wait until the night before to go over it all. I’m
not worried about it so long as I pass," O’Camb said.
According to Taylor, mental simulations make events seem real
and generate problem-solving activities such as planning. By using
this method, students tend to reduce their anxiety, improving their
test scores.
"I feel like when I open myself up to stress, I just make things
worse," said Yumiko Hara, a first-year biology student.
Citing a study about students working on academic projects,
Taylor argues people naturally have poor planning skills.
The students who participated in the study displayed unrealistic
optimism about their anticipated completion dates, and only
one-third of the students surveyed finished their projects by the
predicted completion time.
Taylor has conducted several studies that prove the
effectiveness of process-simulation. In a 1997 study, she and a
then-undergraduate, Lien B. Pham, recruited 77 UCLA students for a
study on coping with exams.
The students were selected five to seven days before their first
midterm exam. They were trained in mental simulation and told to
practice their simulations each day for five minutes a day.
In the end, students using process-simulation achieved higher
scores than students not using any strategy.
"What she said about visualization seems to work with the
problems in the study," said Dean Dacumos, president of UCLA’s
Psychology Alumni Association. "Visualizing is what’s going to get
you to the point."
By this rationale, students with good planning skills are often
able to avoid much of the anxiety caused by exams, Taylor said.
"Usually I try to study every day. I try to write out a game
plan to study for the test," said Jason House, a fourth-year
economics student. "When things don’t go according to plan, I start
stressing."
Some students go as far as planning months ahead. Amy Kim, a
third-year physiological sciences student, studies a week early for
her midterms. "I have a plan throughout the whole quarter," she
said.
When students fail to plan ahead, they often use various methods
to get rid of the tension and anxiety they suffer from.
"In order for me to release stress, I go exercise. Sometimes you
just have to write out your thoughts and talk to people," said
Leslie San Jose, a first-year undeclared student.
Namita Gupta, a first-year undeclared student, handles stress by
"eating lots of candy and drinking Surge."
In addition, UCLA’s Student Psychological Services (SPS) offers
professional counseling for students who encounter serious
difficulties when dealing with personal problems which include
exams.
"We provide individual counseling for students, we provide group
counseling for students, and we provide outreach programs," said
William Parham, the associate director of Clinical Service.
Students usually refer themselves to SPS.
If students are seeking individual counseling, they can call the
front desk and schedule an appointment. After 5 p.m., SPS sponsors
a student help-line, run by student volunteers and supervised by
staff.
According to Parham, students come to SPS for help with a
variety of problems.
"Stress certainly is a main (problem)," he said.
"Academics can certainly be a challenge. (The students) have
relationship challenges, (and) health challenges may be a
component," Parham said.
The SPS Stress Clinic also offers small group workshops for
students with problems ranging from test anxiety to low social
confidence, all designed to teach students how to manage stress
successfully.
"Each person has an individual way of managing their own
stress," said McCulley.
The workshops run once a week, and are usually facilitated by
Alan Nagamoto, coordinator of the Stress Clinic.
However, some students believe that the best way to relieve
stress is to stop worrying altogether.
"If you know that you’re stressing, there’s no point to sitting
there and stressing," Hara said. "I just go out and have fun."PATIL
ARMENIAN
Professor Shelley E. Taylor speaks about the relationship
among
psychological processes, mental health and physical health.
Comments, feedback, problems?
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