Test stress pressure valves

College students are using a variety of methods to alleviate exam pressure, Zhang Zefeng reports.

The sun has barely stretched above the horizon on a late-December morning as a dozen students gather around yoga mats stretched across the floor of a Beijing university's gymnasium.

They exchange greetings as they do warmups.

Daylight streams through French windows as the clock strikes 8, and the workout music strikes up as the students take their poses.

It's not an accredited physical-education class but rather a semiweekly group workout.

The sessions are designed to be fun. They fuse such trendy exercise workout styles as "boot camp", zumba and tabata - a genre of high-intensity interval training for fitness and weight loss.

In this case, all are meant to boost mental well-being - perhaps even more so than physical health.

"Exercise relieves stress and gives you the chance to meet friends, who can help you and support you when you are down or stressed," says American fitness coach Leon Cortes-Lopez, who founded Hooah Fitness in Beijing and hosts free group sessions at Beijing Language and Culture University.

"A lot of times, people come because they are stressed. But in the end, everyone ends up laughing, mingling and making friends."

Indeed, intense workouts are but one way in which students are alleviating exam stress.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, many are turning to aroma therapy and meditation.

Working out

Tang Xiangyi employs exercise to reduce pressure.

The 23-year-old graduate student, who's pursuing a Teaching Chinese as a Second Language degree from BLCU, doesn't have final exams but does have final papers and course projects due.

"Working out effectively distracts from stress and has long been part of my lifestyle," she says.

It also helps her curb the harmful effects of frequently ordering large portions of takeout while scrambling to meet deadlines.

"I sweat out my anxieties during the hourlong group sessions," she says.

"It makes me feel good again."

Fujian Medical University student Liao Yiming takes the punch out of pressure with boxing.

"I box when I'm overwhelmed by the endless medical jargon - especially obscure cell names - before exams," the 20-year-old says.

"I feel euphoric when the punching bag is flying. It clears my mind."

Liao made friends with a Swedish schoolmate who shares his passion for the sport.

They often duke it out.

"It's also a great opportunity to improve my spoken English," Liao adds.

Sweat it out

Apart from workouts, there are other ways to deal with stress.

Aromatherapy is an ancient practice for stress reduction developed by Buddhist monks and nuns. The fragrance of sandalwood incense and such herbs as lavender has long been associated with a calming effect.

New York University public relations graduate student Kong Youyuan burns incense in her dining room when she's exhausted from writing academic papers.

"I feel like I'm in an ancient Chinese temple when I smell sandalwood," the 24-year-old says.

"It melts my anxiety and puts me in the zone. It takes only two nights to finish a 16-page paper after using this therapy."

Mindfulness

Meditation has become increasingly popular at Chinese universities.

Tsinghua University assistant professor of psychology Li Songwei recommends a program called "mindfulness-based stress reduction".

MBSR was created by University of Massachusetts Medical School professor of medicine Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 and is backed by clinical research. It has been introduced in several Chinese colleges, including Tsinghua.

The method has been found to change brain functions in specific ways over just a few weeks, enabling the body to better respond to stress, insomnia and chronic pain.

"MBSR requires practitioners to focus on the current moment," says Li.

"The program allows the subjects to honestly observe their current anxieties - where they're coming from and how to dispel them. It offers many techniques to help people deal with their situations."

Anxiety has benefits

Li, who also works as a psychologist at the university's counseling center, identifies stress as an instinctive behavior that reacts to such external factors as threats or danger.

Constant stress not only makes people feel miserable but also causes such problems as sleep and eating disorders.

"There's a limit to how much stress a person can take," says Li.

"When it becomes unbearable, the person needs to consider saying no to certain things and learn to lower expectations."

Li warns that many widespread means of stress release are harmful.

"Certain common strategies, such as smoking, drinking and drugs, are extremely addictive," says Li.

"Activities like shopping, gaming and eating junk food provide instant gratification" but may have long-term consequences, says Li.

But stress has its upside.

People can tweak their mindsets to transform anxiety into energy that helps them perform under pressure.

"Stress forces people to live in the moment," says Li.

"I have friends who take advantage of the feeling of working under stress, which allows them to complete projects in the shortest possible time. So they don't have to spend too long feeling worried."

Contact the writer at zhangzefeng@chinadaily.com.cn

Exam fatigue goes to the dogs

US citizen Amanda Malone enlisted the help of some furry friends to decompress from final-exam burnout.

The Minnesota State University creative writing graduate student believes dog therapy helped alleviate the stress that'd accumulated during the finals.

"I waited in line for about 15 minutes and got to pet four different dogs, who were totally adorable," says Malone.

"It's very relaxing to sit down with an animal that's so happy to see you and lets you love them."

Dog therapy has been increasing in popularity on US campuses in recent years.

Yale students can book 30 minutes with puppies.

The Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Connecticut, respectively, launched their Ruff Relief and Paws to Relax programs to help students reduce anxiety.

The approach is experimental.

But scientific studies have shown canine interaction can increase levels of the anxiety-depleting hormone oxytocin.

"Oxytocin replaces fight-flight with a brain and body chemistry of calm-connect," US researcher Meg Olmert told The Atlantic.

"Dogs also release this same brain chemistry in humans."

The idea of dog therapy was developed by retired Kent State professor Kathy Adamle in 2004, say media reports.

She developed the concept after students constantly stopped her while she walked her pet pooches on the university grounds.

"A campus isn't a place where you can have a dog, and so many students and others would stop me and simply want to pet my dogs," Adamle told NBC News.

"Students are worried about papers and exams, and can also get homesick. The dogs help with all of that."

Some US universities, including Oklahoma State, are considering expanding their pet therapy programs by adding equine and cat versions.

"College is a pressure cooker, and everyone wants to succeed. What we need to do is help students be healthier," veterinarian Lara Sypniewski of Pete's Pet Posse told NBC News.

"Animals can do that. They are like a little bit of heaven on Earth."

(China Daily USA 01/11/2017 page7)