KARL AGGER | STAFF REPORTER

For Butler students, the month of April does not just bring warmer weather. It also brings a great big heap of stress.

Stress, a common enough problem at any time during the school year, becomes even more acute as the semester nears its end.

There are only six weeks of regular class between spring break and the beginning of finals.

Within that time are plenty of tests, projects, papers and events for Butler University students to juggle.

Freshman education major Daniel Rollock is one of many to feel the pressure.

“You have everything starting to pile up,” he said. “I am starting to see the due dates really come closer.”

The challenge, Rollock said, comes not so much in the material but in keeping all of his deadlines in mind.

“The challenge is that all of this is happening at the same time,” he said.

Rollock admits he will probably have less free time over the next couple of weeks, though he says he will try to set aside some “de-stress” time where he can kick back and watch some Netflix.

Butler provides plenty of resources for students who need to reduce their stress levels.

One such resource is counseling and consultation services, where students can receive free counseling for stress among other issues.

“Generally when people come to us, it is because they are having a hard time managing the stress,” staff psychologist Steve Hines said. “People are feeling overwhelmed.

“They talking about having more stuff on their plate than they feel like they can handle, almost to the point where it leaves them feeling paralyzed, like they are completely stuck.”

Hines notes counseling and consultation services tends to see an increase of students requesting their services during the late-semester months.

However, there is no easy way for anyone to get rid of stress.

“What we try to focus on is how people manage their stress,” Hines said.

Having high stress can affect people’s ability to focus, their memory, their critical thinking skills and their overall emotional state.

In an academic environment that encourages students to take on a lot of responsibility, it is sometimes hard to know when enough is enough.

Incorporating a balance and focusing on self-care is a great way for students to manage their stress.

Some important components of self-care include exercising, eating right, social interaction and getting enough sleep.

Sleep is especially important, as it is often the first thing to go when students feel that they are in a crunch for time says Hines.

When students feel like they have too much work to do, they let their self-care fall by the wayside.

“Those are the times you need self-care the most,” Hines said.

The week before finals, Health Education and Outreach will be coordinating a Stress Less Week with plenty of events to help students take a load off.

There will be relaxation stations around campus featuring everything from yoga classes to therapy dogs.

Students are reminded to watch the Butler Connection and the HRC’s Twitter for notices of these events in the coming weeks.