Texas Tech University - La Ventana Yearbook (Lubbock, TX)

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12 — Coping

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Student Life— 11

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It ' s the terror of know- ing what this world is about, Watching some good friend scream ' let me out ' . . . This is ourself under pressure • • . — Queen, David Bowie How to cope when your candle is burnt at both ends If more Tech students followed the Zen philosophy of flowing with the stream, they might be under less stress, or so says Rolf Gord- hamer, director of the Univer- sity Counseling Center. College men and women are not established in life yet. They want to know what they ' re going to do when they get out, Gordhamer said. They lived at home in a cocoon and college is another cocoon. After college, there are no more cocoons. Male and female college students tend to worry about academic performance, finances, living conditions and their self-images, Gordhamer said. It is the worrying that has adverse effects on the stu- dent. Your reality changes under stress, he said. But, how do you know when you ' re under stress? Thinking negatively, eating too much or too little, sleep — in excess or not sleeping at all are some of the warning signals. Also, short breathing, withdrawing from people or having no privacy, avoiding classes and being at odds with people that you used to get along with are other clues which may indicate stress. Turning to alcohol or drugs could also indicate stress. About 99 percent of the peo- ple who use drugs and alcohol do so to relax and beat tension, he said. Gordhamer says coping with stress is a two-pronged project — keeping it from coming and getting rid of it. The University Counseling Center sponsors manage- ment and stress reduction classes for students. The center helps students look at their own program. You get to the point where you ' re burning the candle at both ends and in the middle, Gordhamer said. The stress reduction group teaches students breathing and muscle tightening techniques. We teach people how to be relaxed. After we teach them how to cope with stress, they start to demand for themselves more often that state of relaxation. What they do with their environment is what is really important. Gordhamer recommends deep breathing and walking as ways to cope with stress. Focusing on enjoyment rather than what a person is going to ward off is the key, Gordhamer said. Life is here to be en- joyed, he said. — Jerri McCrar] Coping — 13