News reports about bombs blasting in Iraq, terrorist organizations with access to chemical and biological weapons and the poorly-understood killer disease called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome can make some people want to tune out and turn in under a blanket of duct tape.
But students who find their fears creeping into many aspects of their day-to-day lives have several avenues of assistance available to them. The University Health Center and Counseling and Testing Center have been working together to discover ways to better assist students who are having a difficult time coping with current events.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the number of students requesting counseling for relationship-related problems has tapered off and requests for anxiety-related counseling have increased, said Robin Holmes, director of the University’s Counseling and Testing Center. With this in mind, the counseling center offered various group counseling sessions to help students who felt panicked about international events. However, Holmes said attendance was low at these sessions, similar to the response they received during the Gulf War.
Travis Breaux, a computer and information science major, said he thinks about the war a lot, but it doesn’t necessarily cause him more stress. Rather than taking on problems alone, Breaux said he communicates with friends.
“I’m the kind of person who takes advantage of the environment,” Breaux said. “When I become stressed, I have to do something about it.”
One of the methods the health center uses to help students who are bombarded by anxiety is to educate them about the effects of stress and how to cope with it in a healthy and positive way.
Anne Mattson, the University Health Center’s director of nursing, said while some may deal with increased stress positively and productively, others may let their emotions take a physiological toll.
“In times of prolonged stress, it’s important to make choices that keep us resilient, functional and healthy,” said Mattson. “Stress depletes the immune system, and can leave us open to viral infections.”
Stress can manifest physically in the form of ulcers, muscle tension and abdominal pain. A good night’s sleep is one of the best ways people can heal their bodies from the physical effects of stress, Mattson said.
The first step to take when experiencing anxiety is to pause and reflect for a moment on what is causing the symptoms. An anxious response is often situational and will not surface as a reoccurring problem, especially if the person deals with the stress in a positive way, Holmes said.
These positive ways of coping include exercising, talking with others or engaging in activities that have helped the person relieve stress in the past, such as listening to music, reading a book or getting a massage. Drugs and alcohol should be avoided because their effects can exaggerate the problem.
If these methods are not effective and if the problem is reoccurring, students can make an appointment with a psychologist or counselor, Holmes said. The Counseling and Testing Center offers sessions on a drop-in basis from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. They offer individual, group and couples counseling.