Physical
One of the most effective methods for dealing with pressure and stress is exercise. You can even prevent some of the ill-effects of stress with a regular program of physical activity. Find something you enjoy through Campus Recreation, intramurals, Bearobics, club sports, etc., and let off some steam!
Ideas: The Campus Recreation program operated from the Student Life Center (SLC) has every conceivable avenue for you to work out your restless energy or whatever frustrations you may experience when things seem to pile up. Walk or run the Bear Trail, go canoeing at the Baylor Marina, or climb the wall in the SLC. Find something you enjoy to let off some steam.
Spiritual
The most important part of your make-up is your spiritual self. It is the glue that holds all the other parts together. When you have confidence that you are in the right place doing the right thing for the right reason, every task you undertake takes on a higher meaning and purpose. The great strength of Baylor University is its commitment to the two most powerful endeavors of humanity: the pursuit of knowledge and the pursuit of truth. The combination of the acquisition of the knowledge of man and the quest for the wisdom of God is unassailable.
Ideas: How do you cultivate the intensity of that combination? Your personal relationship with the Eternal Father is the source of that confidence. Whether in structured weekly Bible Studies or through personal quiet times in one of the restful locations on campus, the care you take to “be still and know that He is God” is the key. Whatever form your faith takes, be committed to it and develop a regular time for one-on-one communication with God.
While you are at Baylor, our hope for you is that you will become transformed into a person capable of contributing great things to humanity, both through your academic successes and through the sharing of the gifts and talents with which you have been blessed.
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10)
This series was written by:
Paula Marshall
Ms. Marshall is an Academic Advisor in the Paul L. Foster Success Center. She is in the middle of a multi-generational Baylor family as her mother, father-in-law, husband, and two of their three children are all Baylor Bears. Paula earned her BA in Biology from Baylor in 1979 and then followed it with a MAST in Physics and Chemistry from the University of New Orleans in 1984. Paula taught AP Chemistry and Advanced Level Physics in private high schools from 1979 until she “retired” in 2008. After overcoming her own challenges to learning, she has devoted her career to teaching her students how to succeed academically.
