Take a study break

STAFF WRITER

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year — or perhaps the most stressful, if you’re a college student coping with finals.

Quavshaun “Q” Branch, a sophomore student at Eastern New Mexico University, said he tackles studying for finals with breaks.

“I usually take a couple of hours out of the day to study, but for every hour, I take a 30-minute break to clear my mind for a little bit,” he said. “Then I get back to it to see what I did learn or what I do remember.”

link Quavshaun “Q“ Branch relaxes on a pile of bean bags Tuesday afternoon in the

De-Stress room at the Campus Union Building at Eastern New Mexico University. The

De-Stress room is

sponsored by the College Success Program and provides a space where students can relax during finals week.

Junior David Sanchez said he copes with the stress of finals by taking advantage of the “many avenues available throughout campus.”

Sanchez said one of those avenues is the De-Stress room located in the Sandia room at the Campus Union Building.

The De-Stress room is sponsored by the College Success Program (CSP), which is one of the three TRIO programs at ENMU, according to Dee Teal, mentor coordinator for CSP.

Teal said the room is available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and hosted twice per semester; once during mid-terms and during “dead week,” which is the week before finals.

“It’s a room where the students can come and have a place to breathe and not be responsible for anything,” Teal said. “They can color, use Play-Doh, sleep, hang out and do whatever helps them relax.”

Sanchez, who was playing a game of Uno in the room on Tuesday morning, said he appreciates how the room offers a mix of activities for every kind of individual.

Teal added that students will be making Christmas cards and along with watching movies, they enjoy playing video games, board games and puzzles.

“One day, I walked in the room and saw four or five big football players sitting there coloring,” Teal said with a laugh. “We see new students every semester and a lot of the same students come back, because they know it’s a place where they can just come, and they don’t have to think about anything. There’s no expectations; they can just let go.”

Besides the De-Stress room, Sanchez said what he finds most useful during this time is the hours in the lunchroom.

“Sometimes when I am studying, I will bring my books and study supplies in the cafeteria while I have coffee and lunch, and it’s a chill environment,” he said. “As a student, you’re paying fees, so use what the university has to offer.”

The university also offers ongoing counseling and career services Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., according to Director Susan Larsen.

“We try to help students with coping skills all semester long, and we try to prepare them so they don’t get stressed out finals week,” Larsen said. “We work with them on specific stress management and deep relaxation if they come in panicking about a test.”

Larsen said the office also has handouts on relaxation, stress and test anxiety available outside of the door for anyone to grab.

“I also work on getting into freshman seminar classes and doing presentations through the semester on test anxiety and stress management, so we can try and nip it in the bud before it even happens,” she said. “Another thing we do is keep a supply of candy canes on hand, because the taste and smell of peppermint helps with stress.”

Larsen said they also have a 24-hour call line for emergency or crisis situations where an on-call counselor can be reached.