On Tuesday, November 27 in Mullaney Hall there was an informational program held for the students called “Address Your Stress”. It started at 7:30 pm and lasted about an hour. One of the hosts of the event was Tom McCarthy, Assistant Director of Counseling and Psychological Services here at the University.
The purpose of the event was to discuss stress with students, define it, talk about what causes it, and share ways to deal with it. The event was planned because of upcoming finals and papers, students stress levels tend to increase around this time.
Address your stress was advertised for by means of flyers and e-mails. About 35 students came out to learn new ways to deal with their stress. “We were extremely happy with the amount of students that came out tonight. We are not used to such a turnout,” said McCarthy.
Most of whom were freshmen, which were fulfilling their “W,” which stands for “wellness,” requirement for the SHADOW program. The SHADOW program is a program that was designed for first year students in order to get them involved with events on campus. Various events fall under the program, each standing for a different letter. Once all of the letters are earned, students are entered into a raffle and eligible to win free clothes, gift cards, and concert tickets.
Some professors were requesting that their students attend this event. This was the case for Akash Patel, freshman computer science major. “I came tonight because I had to for a class, but I’m sure it will be beneficial,” said Patel.
Another student who was interested in stress coping methods was Alexa Caplinger, freshman English and Education major. “I got an e-mail about it and I wanted to come because finals are stressing me out and I wanted to learn new ways to deal with it,” said Caplinger.
McCarthy defined stress as “anything in our lives that exceeds our ability to cope.” It was also characterized as being unavoidable and having the feeling of being frustrated and overwhelmed.
Some of the things that were defined as causes of stress were family, money, friends, and relationships. An interesting fact that McCarthy shared was that the number one mental issue on this campus and across the country is anxiety, and that is one of the main reasons why this session was held to educate students.
McCarthy also talked about ways in which stress can be good. It can act as a motivator, which will help to get work done and make one push harder. It also activates the fight or flight response in our bodies. This is important because it is how our body reacts when it is in danger.
There were handouts that were distributed to those who attended. One of the three was a questionnaire about your vulnerability to stress, another was a paper with instructions for a deep breathing exercise, and the last paper included tips to relieve the harmful effects of stress.
McCarthy demonstrated an alternate deep breathing exercise (different from the handout) and explained how to do it when stress becomes too unbearable.
McCarthy also expressed his hopes that this was advantageous to the students and that they would leave with some sort of knowledge in the subject. “If they walk away remembering one or two tips and apply them, I’d be happy with that,” said McCarthy.
Zach Bessette, freshman English major, is one of the students who was happy he came to this event. “I think it was really helpful and useful information,” said Bessette.
PHOTO COURTESY of Nick Hodgins
