WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – As students and faculty exit mid-terms and head straight into
November, the ever present stress rises once more with finals week on the horizon, starting
December 8th.

Stress is a major concern for both students and faculty members, as the deadlines of both assignments and grade feedback bring unnecessary tensions on the health of everyone.

Lisa Witzberger, the current Director of Counseling Services, gives four helpful pieces of advice for those dealing with stress and how to properly manage it:

• The first piece of advice is to make sure proper sleep is kept. It is important to have good sleep etiquette because it helps us to focus, concentrate, have a good mood, and allows us to have a good memory. It is recommended to get between 6 and 8 hours of sleep.
• Secondly, it is important to have adequate eating habits. By not eating, the body has trouble functioning properly, and it needs food to help keep energy levels up. In addition to that, not eating can also lead to stress levels rising. It is recommended that two sit-down meals are consumed per day.
• The third piece of advice is to plan when and where you are going to study. When studying, it is very important to pick a spot where you will be least distracted. For example, if a person is working in their room, they should turn their television off to help keep focus on studying or work.
• Finally, it is important to plan time for relaxing or doing something enjoyable. While this seems arbitrary, it is important that we take time to relax because our brains function better with moments of calmness mixed in with work. Lisa comments that “calmness for our brains is like oxygen for our lungs.”

For information, you can reach out to Lisa Witzberger at [email protected] with
questions, or you can visit the counseling offices on the second floor of the Union.