Exam Time Stress Solutions??

Hi Everyone,

So what triggered my first flare has yet again come - exams. I'm in my fourth year of mechanical engineering, and the stress of exams and the term ending seems to really affect my colitis. I've been having more pain than usual lately and a general decline in  strength, and of course worrying that this may bring on another flare has me even more stressed.

I exercise as much as I can (depending on strength and pain level) and I eat as well as I can (things that are bland these days). Are there de-stressing solutions that any of you have come across that may help me to get through these last few days of the exam period?

Thanks so much.

Meditation and shopping (but I'm a shopaholic so of course I'm going to suggest shopping).

:)

I like laughing even though it usually hurts if I do too much...I watch movies to relax. They're really cool on demand with digital cable cause you can watch any time & if you fall asleep, like I often do, you can either start over or rewind. I get so exhausted. I like very low impact yoga. It's exercising, stretching & relaxing at the same time. I don't push myself. I do what I can when I can. If I push myself I usually overdo it & feel worse either later or next day. The yoga, if done right feels so good all over. 

Going through school exam time was always the hardest time for me as well. I would always flare around that time. What i found was if I planned enough it made things easier. I would schedule all of my studying and even some me time as well. That way I could see that I was doing all I could and not have as much time to worry. The hard part was not worrying during the me time, i always felt that i should be doing something for school when i was relaxing.

Go get a massage. burn some old papers or books. laugh with friends. Good luck!

Hi..I have a another "insurance" suggestion.....start the Salofalk enemas at least every 3rd night.

q

I'm so glad I didn't have UC when I was in college. I can imagine how hard that would be. But, yeah, I remember the stress that goes along with exams, and I would often get sick around that time with colds. My only advice is to prepare for your tests the best you can, get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy diet. Good luck with you exams!

Though I was fortunate enough not to have full-blown UC symptoms in college (instead I got hit hard after graduating), I can relate to studying for engineering exams, being electrical. I noticed near the end of the program I learned how to pace myself more and knew what to expect from the professors. Also staying up really late to squeeze in tons of information and then freaking out on a test didn't seem to help as much as focusing on the most relevant material, forcing yourself to be calm, and getting enough sleep to be fresh for action. I also liked to do a few practice problems beforehand to get myself prepared mentally, because most of the time the information is there, you just need to get in the mindset and have clear/fresh thinking to solve the problems.

The other suggestions sound good to get your mind off things for a while. Hope it all works out for you.

Good to hear you at peace about it and sound in control. Plus, on the job, you find that creative problem solving, sort of on the spot thinking, becomes invaluable. Often I use very little of what I formally learned, but very often use the general skills of working through a problem at my engineering position and every once in a while you pull out the old text book or remember something from a class. I have found that having the right state of mind has helped me in the workplace significantly, because I know stress is not good for me, so when others are freaking out, I find out what the problem is and just focus on getting the job done, realizing panic doesn't help.

Enjoy the time off and have happy holidays.