December 4, 2024 Student Ambassador Blog: Reagan Paulus, Communication Arts An Interview with Huntsville Counselor and UAH Alum James Desta I can still remember my first final exam. As a freshman in college, I did not know what to expect. I felt vastly unprepared despite studying for hours. As the professor set down a thick packet of paper and Scantron on my desk, my heart sank. This was my chance to show all I had learned over the semester. More than that, I felt it was my chance to prove I work hard, I deserve an A, and I am worthy of being in this space. If you鈥檝e had an experience like mine, you鈥檙e not alone. Final exams are a major source of stress among college students. More than 89% of college students experience stress from exams, according to the American Addiction Center. Huntsville counselor and UAH alum James Desta cited several reasons for this. 鈥淵our routine gets messed up, the calendar is more packed, there鈥檚 more pressure to do well, and you鈥檙e still trying to balance your life as a person outside of being a student,鈥� Desta said. Finals also tend to fall during or after extracurricular events such as dances, concerts, and shows. Students can feel overwhelmed as they juggle multiple roles. 鈥淢aybe your weekly gaming group is done until next semester, or your friends haven鈥檛 had the time to meet up,鈥� Desta said. 鈥淥r maybe you met someone in one of your classes you鈥檝e been talking to all semester, and now it鈥檚 time for holidays. How serious is it? Would it be weird to have them meet your family? Would it be weird not to?鈥� Finals also signal a change in your schedule is coming. 鈥淭he end of finals means the end of structure and for a lot of us, the beginning of a pretty long stretch of being around family again,鈥� Desta explained. 鈥淓ven if you like your family鈥� you鈥檙e still probably giving up at least some of your independence by staying at home again. Or if you don鈥檛 go home, most others have, which means you鈥檝e lost a lot of your community for a while.鈥� Desta warned that the more stressed students feel, the more they tend to revert back to unhealthy coping strategies that may actually make symptoms worse. Concordia University reported that many students turn to stimulants such as caffeine and energy drinks to deal with final exam stress. Moreover, they may adopt poor eating habits out of convenience or deprive themselves of rest. All these factors exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Desta said, regardless of how well you鈥檝e been managing your symptoms during the semester, final exams may make it so that your normal self-care routines just aren鈥檛 working anymore. However, there are ways to cope. Every person is different, Desta explained. 鈥淥nce you can roughly identify what鈥檚 going on underneath your symptoms, it鈥檚 a matter of meeting the needs and causes versus meeting the symptoms,鈥� he said. Regardless of the cause of final exam stress, students may find Desta鈥檚 thought exercise helpful. Consider the following example of a student who is anxious and avoids studying for finals. A - What were you feeling, and what was the impulsive behavior that tried to show up to save you from that situation? Example: 鈥淚鈥檓 feeling anxious, and I鈥檓 doing everything I can not to have to think about that.鈥� B - What does it feel like you need that鈥檚 not happening? Ex: 鈥淚 need to feel like it鈥檚 going to be okay, and like I can do a good job.鈥� C - Imagine the worst case scenario happens. What does that mean about you or your life? Ex: 鈥淚鈥檓 not good enough.鈥� D - How can you prove the opposite of that belief to yourself now? Ex: 鈥淪tart with the course you feel like you鈥檙e the best at, even if that鈥檚 not one of the closest ones. Remind yourself you know how to study, and that you can understand and remember important things. Or go accomplish something unrelated to get into a headspace of personal agency. Wipe down some counters, make your bed, take the trash out, play your Wordle, beat a level of a platforming game鈥� just something to remind yourself that you do have the ability to overcome. Then, choose one thing to study and only bring those materials so you don鈥檛 end up paralyzed with indecision.鈥� Students may also find it helpful to connect with peers, Desta explained, 鈥淚ntentionally setting aside time to meet up鈥� with a friend can be a great reminder that it鈥檚 not just you, and that you鈥檙e going to get through it!鈥� Desta graduated from UAH in 2012 with his B.A. Psychology and Music before obtaining his M.S. Counseling Psychology from Alabama A&M. He owns his own practice called James Desta Counseling in Downtown Huntsville. As an EMDRIA-Certified EMDR therapist, Desta specializes in trauma therapy, both acute and developmental, and is drawn to treating attachment issues. Learn more at .