"I'm just surprised that somebody so professional could break down and do something crazy like that," remarks Olivia Aranha, a tourist at NASA. Her statement is in reference to "crazy Lisa," caught in a stressful love triangle competing for the affections of a male co-worker. Despite the lack of a romantic relationship, the acclaimed professional became jealous and is on record for stalking the third party of the love triangle. The astronut resorted to kidnapping this other woman and drove 900 miles wearing a diaper to carry out the (failed) abduction. With midterms coming up, we want to remember Lisa Nowak as the epitome of what not to do under stress or when dealing with anxiety.
Stress and anxiety go hand-and-hand with midterms or finals. At least that's what I've been told. Being a Communications major, I'm not subject to these oft-spoken of "exams." Regardless, midterms are upon us and in the midst of it all we have to keep our wits about us.
During this final week before Spring Break you may experience a feeling of exhaustion, like you cannot read another word in your text book and your fingers are going to crumble if you have to type another paper. Stress solution: pull a Britney Spears and shave your head!
No, no. Don't do that. But changing up your routine is a good idea. Shaving your head is drastic, but subtly breaking up the cycle might do the trick.
Back in the day if I lost motivation doing a chapter in my spelling workbook my mom would make me go outside and run up and down the street and then do jumping jacks. Naturally, I questioned my mother's sanity, but it turns out (and I hate to say it) she was right. If you move around and get your circulation going then you can return to your work with a little more energy and a fresh perspective.
If the anxiety of your tasks is still too taxing there are always drugs on the market to cure any malady. Introducing Propranolol, also known as "memory drug." While several drugs are over-prescribed, it is debatable if this medication falls into that category. Sure, it helps lower blood pressure and relieves migraines, but now it's beginning to be prescribed to lower anxiety. It works by blocking bodily chemicals that correlate with your blood vessels and heart.
People have begun taking this in the aftermath of a traumatic event -- i.e., a car accident -- so that the meds can stop natural chemicals from being released, thus hindering the memory from being solidified in the victim's mind. The controversy of Propranolol, of course, is whether it comes too close to "playing God." Sometimes bad memories or anxiety can benefit a person and they can learn from it. But dealing with a drug so sensitive to the patient's specific situation, event, and bodily reaction makes prescribing it a hard call. How can you possibly know what effects it will have on the individual and whether or not the medication is necessary? How can you know if a person really needs the drug?
It might not be such a bad idea to let life flow its course and fight your battles without drugs. It may just be that the lessons you learn while facing these problems, stress, and anxiety can be an aid in your future. John Legend cements the idea that we should loosen up and take a chance, trusting ourselves to be able to manage our troubles, when he offers a valuable nugget of advice: "Take it slow. Maybe we'll live and learn, maybe we'll crash and burn -- Maybe we won't survive, but maybe we'll grow."
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