stress

In Your Queue: Visioneers

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by johncondry on March 22, 2012

Stress: the one constant of every college students life. Sometimes I feel like I get so stressed I might explode, which is a pretty common feeling, but what if stress induced explosions could actually happen? That worry is very real in Jared Drake’s black comedy Visioneers. Set in a dystopian city, Visioneers follows George (played by Zach Galifianakis): a worker for a large company called Visioneers. When people in George’s office start exploding from stress, George is worried he will be next. George tries to find a way to save himself and as he doe,s he peels away the layers of dull and wasteful life.

Seeing Zach Galifianakis in this kind of role is really fun. The funny guy from the Hangover does a great job in this serious role (leaving plenty of room for black comedy, of course). The setting of the film (the plain, old office) also adds a lot since it contrasts with the vibrant countryside so perfectly.

So this film is about stress, but where does stress come from besides our work loads or personal lives? I think stress can also stem from a deeper unhappiness. THAT kind of stress is what Visioneers deals with. George is stressed out because he has a job he hates, a loveless marriage, and no friends to speak of. His life has passed him by and he has nothing to show for it.

College students are some of the most stressed out people on the planet, but we are making choices right now that are going to affect the rest of our lives. What are we going to do for work? What kind of family are we going to have? Who will we call our lifelong friends? We might not take life to seriously right now (and we shouldn’t), but we should also be mindful of these choices so that we don’t end up seeing our lives 20 years from now like George does: a depressing excuse for existence.

Plus all that stress it just might…BOOM…kill you.

Visioneers is available on Netflix Instant Streaming.

How do YOU deal with stress? What do you think is the most common cause of stress for college students?

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Need Help?

by ashleytwigg on November 29, 2011

It’s finally here: the biggest “grind” time of the semester. This is the time of year when everyone starts getting stressed, depressed, and overworked. There may not be any way to dismiss all of these issues, but there are definitely outlets to help alleviate some of your pre-winter break stresses. Check out some of these on-campus resources to keep you level headed and your stress bearable. 

Office Hours:

This is the easiest and quickest way to worry a little less about your courses. EVERY professor is required to hold office hours each week and be available for their students. Whether you need help with an assignment or just want to check in on your progress in the course- go! In a classroom of 20+ students (or especially in an online course) it is easy to be lost in the shuffle.

Professors often times are much more approachable one-on-one than they are in a classroom setting. Utilize them as a resource. Meeting with your professor can not only be beneficial for clarification on assignments, but hey they may also remember you come grade time, putting in that extra effort!

Counseling Center:

When you pack in family, friends, jobs, relationships, and everything else it is easy to become overwhelmed with college life. The counseling center is there for the sole purpose of helping you. Even if you feel you don’t have any “issues” to discuss- just taking some time out each week to focus on only YOU can be beneficial.

This free service couldn’t be easier- just go to the office and set up an appointment. No stress, no judgment, no pressure.

Health Services:

If you’ve been running a fever for a week, or you just never got over that stomach bug, it really isn’t worth causing a campus-wide flu epidemic just because you felt weird going to Health Services. They can diagnose you, write prescriptions, and give advice on whatever may be wrong. If you really hate the idea, have a friend go with you for a little awkward moment moral support.

Career Services:

Despite misconceptions, Career Services is something students in all years of college should take advantage of. The office can help with everything from choosing a major, to internships, to career guidance. If you are confused on where your major may take you- visit the office and find out your options. If you are interested in an internship see what they have to offer.

Academic Achievement Center:

So I’m sure most of you can think back to Freshman orientation when you were brought into the Academic Achievement Center to register for your courses- most of you probably haven’t been back since. The AAC offers so many tools to help you succeed while in college.  Utilize such things as the Math Lab, Communication Lab, or Writing Center, to help with concepts you may not understand, as well as speech and paper writing.

The AAC offers a huge host of things from homework help to second language rescources and everything in between. Again, I know it can be daunting asking for help- but your grades will thank you later!

What rescources have you used on campus? What benefits have you found from reaching out for help?

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5 Creative Ways to Deal with Stress

by ashleytwigg on October 19, 2011

As fun as college can be, the fact is- it’s still school. With school comes presentations, term papers and exams. Juggling school work with everything else in your life can be a little daunting and, at times, extremely stressful. Don’t let stress keep you from enjoying college and “the best years of your life”. Here are five creative ways to cope with the daily stress of campus life:

Make a Scrapbook:

So maybe this idea doesn’t immediately entice you, but hear me out: looking through old photos can be fun. Taking a trip back in time can bring some hilarious results. Even as recent as freshman year of high school (or college), you can witness how much you’ve changed.

We all go through phases. Whether it was  thinking pig-tails were cute for years at a time, cutting your t-shirts 80′s style (guilty as changed!), looking back can bring on the laughs and the memories. Cropping old pictures, pasting them into an album and writing cheesy memories underneath can be therapeutic. But I should mention, Scrapbooks are not a one-day project, so you can always go back and continue working on it whenever you need a break.

Have a Good Laugh:

Laughter, as you know, is the medicine. Grab a friend and a movie that you found hilarious when you were younger. My personal recommendation would be Good Burger, but the choice is yours. Sitting down to a comedy, relaxing and laughing with a friend will instantly make you feel better.

School is hard work, but you certainly don’t need to be serious ALL the time. Trying to cram all your work in at once, doesn’t work for everyone. If you take a break for an hour or so to de-stress, you may be able to go back and tackle the things on your “to-do” list with an open mind.

Go For a Bike Ride:

Honestly, when was the last time you hopped on a bike? Exercise is proven to relieve stress, but sometimes when we are stressed out the idea of going for a run is less than appealing.  Whether it’s taking the old Huffy for a spin in your neighborhood or taking it down the Cape to ride on the Canal, try it. It will not will it take you away from school work  for a little while, but you’ll be exercising and clearing your mind simultaneously.

Listen to the Music:

For this tactic to relieve stress, you need to give in to your guilty pleasures. Whether it’s old school Britney Spears or the Grease soundtrack, bust out your old CD player (or if you’ve cool enough to have them on your iPod, more power to you) and chill out to some tunes. Whether you just listen, dance, or go as far as to grab your hairbrush lip-sync along, it will help decrease your stress level. A five-minute sing along never hurt anyone, right?

Treat Yourself:   

Now I am not condoning become a shopaholic, or “eating” your feelings- neither of those would be helpful advice. However, it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself with a little something special occasionally. Head out for a bite to eat with your friends, go see a movie, buy yourself a new outfit or indulge yourself in a little dessert. Sometimes all you need is to feel that you are rewarding yourself a tiny bit to keep you motivated to keep going. Stress can overwhelm you so having even something small to look forward to can be enough to push you through.

 

How do you deal with stress? What are creative ideas you have tried using?

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