Sarah Tuffield, Peer Health Educator
Stress is a six-letter word that most college students have in their vocabulary and are familiar with when attending college.
Finals and the end of the year are fast approaching as seniors are nervous and excited to graduate and freshmen are amazed at how fast their first year in college flew by. Stress is on the horizon, if it’s not already here, as we round out the year.
What most college students forget about though is that there are ways to combat that stress. Dead week is the week where students prepare for finals and finish up final projects, but this week also marks the time for De-Stress Fest. Coordinated by Vandal Health Education, The Counseling &Testing Center, Campus Recreation, and Student Involvement, De-stress Fest is returning April 30 until May 4 to bring some much-needed relaxation and resources to students.
Every day there will be a number of different events to help you relax and be ready to ace your finals. One option is a variety of yoga classes at the Student Recreation Center (SRC) to explore throughout the week. Yoga is great for stretching those muscles, calming your mind and enjoying some time to reflect and focus. The Counseling and Testing Center (CTC) has a fun event planned called Final Stress Down. The CTC is available for you if you ever need help or need some test taking tips. They are here on campus to provide great resources to help you.
Now, if you’re feeling the physical effects of stress and your body feels tense, then look for massage chairs in the ASUI Vandal Lounge in the Commons sponsored by Student Involvement, Vandal Health Education, Campus Rec and ASUI. Taking a moment to relax and let your body be relaxed allows you to positively focus on the task you want to get done. It helps you feel ready to tackle what comes next even if you’re unsure of it. Along with relaxing your muscles, you can also relax your brain by giving animals some love. The Humane Society of the Palouse will be stopping by during the week to bring some furry friends to help melt the stress away.
Vandal Health Education has many events planned for the week too. You can drop by the Well Space in the SRC for Make Your Own Stress Balls. There’s also Vandalizing the Kitchen, a free cooking class for easy to make yummy study snacks — you even get to try the finished product. Stop by one of the many Health Huts during the week to learn about health and wellness resources, talk to peer educators, and ask any questions you have about health and stress.
Dealing with stress is always hard, especially when you feel like you have too much to do and not enough time. Taking time to focus on relaxing and re-charging is especially important though because you can’t focus on what truly matters if you’re running on empty. De-Stress Fest is a great week of events that allows you to relax and recharge.
Sometimes balancing a busy schedule and making time for yourself can be difficult, and this becomes especially true during dead week and finals.
It is a good idea to make sure to take a little bit of time to take care of you. Whether that be taking a walk through the arboretum, playing frisbee with a few friends, or simply watching an episode of Netflix; taking some time for self-care is always important. Stress can be something to struggle within your college career but if you learn about and practice ways to manage that stress then life, college and the road to success will be more enjoyable and rewarding.
Sarah Tuffield, Peer Health Educator