Last week, Sarah Gills and Andrea Gerding from Gannett Health Services came to give a talk about stress and techniques that students at Cornell can apply to help with finals week. They started off by identifying common stress symptoms, which consisted of physical sensations as well as emotional sensations. I think that they summarized what a lot of students feel really well since they are counselors for many students on campus.

I think that the tips they gave regarding work management and preparing for finals were especially useful. One of the problems that I have when deadlines start rushing in is chunking my work. I often focus on the big problem instead of breaking down the work into manageable chunks to improve workflow. In addition, Sarah and Andrea also talked about a routine technique to help condition our brains to sleep at night. This would usually be a nightly routine, such as reading a book, packing the bag for tomorrow, or even just stepping away from the computer for the last hour before we go to bed.

Lastly, the café ended with a short meditation session that reminded us to be mindful and aware of how we are feeling when we are stressed. We are often overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety and I think the guided meditation was particularly useful in reminding myself to take a breather so that I can clear my mind and work more efficiently.