(Jack Peeples/The Broadside)

On Thursday, June 4, Central Oregon Community College’s Personal Counselor Sharon Richards held a Zoom workshop for students who need assistance to control anxiety and stress. Richards gave some advice on coping with anxiety to the three students who attended the meeting.

Richards wants to ensure students are doing okay handling school, work, and home life. One piece of advice she gives is to have a daily planner. An organizational structure ensures there is a sense of accomplishment throughout the day. This planner would focus on time management. Useful time management skills can be effective for students to minimize stress.

“During the times when I’m working and need structure, those paper calendars are so incredibly helpful with time management,” says Richards, “It seems like a lot of students I’ve met with need to have the full spread of the day in a bigger form.”

Some students may need to figure out which parts of the days are not occupied and fill those with leisure activities. Another trick to coping with anxiety that Richards mentions is sleep.

“Sleep is the foundation to your day,” says Richards, “even if you studied all day long, but don’t get a goodnights sleep, you will often go brain dead.”

Humans rely on sleep to be prepared for the tasks that await them. If struggling with initial insomnia, an app called Insight Timer can be useful. The app is designed for meditation. Richards has been using the app Insight Timer for years. The app advises the user on a potentially calmer method of sleeping.  In the app, a recorded voice guides the person sleeping into a place of relaxation.

Richards is a highly qualified counselor at COCC who is willing to help students with anxiety over the summer and year-round. To seek out Richards, call the CAP Center at 541-383-7200. The CAP Center will help schedule an appointment.