Justify fun to beat finals stress

Pop psychology teaches us that admitting you have a problem is
the first step to recovery. So say it along with me. Hello, my name
is (insert name here). It is finals week, and I am stressed.

We all have heard of the many ways in which we can reduce our
stress. The majority of us know the different strategies for stress
management, ranging from the physical (such as stress balls) to the
mental (like picturing a calming getaway).

But instead of reminding you of these already well-known
techniques, I would like to discuss the benefits of a technique
that is usually regarded in a negative light. I would like to
suggest that students generally have a very effective defense
mechanism for dealing with stress that doesn’t get enough
credit. In fact, it’s a defense mechanism we all know and
utilize.

I call this defense mechanism “justification.”
It’s the thing that keeps many college students sane.

Think back to the number of times you have walked down Bruin
Walk and heard someone telling their version of a very common story
among college students: that they should have and meant to study
more, that they tried, but they were distracted by something or
other, and thus had to cram last minute for an important final.

Before you roll your eyes at such students ““ and I’m
not ashamed to say I’m usually one of them ““ realize
that they are involved in a defense mechanism that allows them to
come to terms with their feelings of stress.

Stress-management services categorize three main genres of
stress-coping skills. The first category is called
“action-oriented skills,” in which the person tackles
stress at its foundation by changing the circumstances leading to
it. In our finals example, this would probably be the equivalent of
dropping out of a class. Studying ahead of time would probably fit
under this category as well, but might not be realistic given how
quickly the quarter system moves.

The second category is called “emotionally orienting
skills.” These are skills that help you acknowledge that some
form of stress is inevitable and that you have no control over the
situation. Instead, you make an effort to change your
interpretation of the stressful situation.

The third category is called “acceptance-oriented
skills,” in which you realize you have no situational or
emotional control over the stress and instead go into a sort of
survival mode.

These last two categories are where justification ““ and
the procrastination that leads to justification ““ comes into
play. At a certain point, every student realizes that, as sad as it
is, he or she has to do some cost-benefit analysis. Priority lists
must be made in the mind ““ or sometimes on paper ““ as
to what class needs the most attention. Thus, one final is studied
for the most, while another may be wholly neglected.

Cost-benefit analysis also must be conducted for the sake of
emotional well-being. For example, I went out to watch
“Ocean’s 12″ with friends on Saturday night. In
terms of workload, I couldn’t afford the two and a half hours
off, and neither could some of my friends. But we justified our
actions with the idea that we had worked all day, and were so
restless that we would not have shown effective studying for the
rest of the night.

Personally, I came back from the movie in high spirits and
thoroughly refreshed. The movie was a lot more fun because a lot of
students were there, and we let out our pent-up emotions by being
overenthusiastic during the previews and the start of the
movie.

On my way back up to my apartment, I observed many other
students engaged in parties and similar acts of, well, fun.

All of us fun-loving students have accepted our lack of control
over finals week and the stress that comes with it. We’re in
survival mode ““ and we’ve emotionally oriented
ourselves through justification so we are able to enjoy the fun we
create. And that keeps the stress levels down a little so we
don’t burn out.

Of course, as with everything, use justification in moderation.
Otherwise, it’s a good system. More people should start
realizing that it’s an entirely effective manner by which a
majority of us protect our sanity.

I’m not ashamed to say, “Hello, my name is Noor
Hashem. It is finals week, and I am less stressed than I could
be.”

Hashem would really like a human stress ball for finals.
Apply for the position at [email protected].