The term is drawing to an end--just one week left before exams!--and the busyness that comes along with this time of the year is hitting me like a ton of bricks. A poster presentation next week, the ENGL 108D term paper, three finals (one per exam week), and a major thesis Progress Report worth 70% of my grade for the class. All in the next four weeks. Yikes.
I can't be sure whether it's because I'm now primed to see all of it, but I'm really noticing a lot of different events all around campus targeting stress relief. I do wonder if this term there's been an increase, especially since mental wellness has become more of a focal issue on campus.
What's interesting is realizing the kinds of thoughts I have when I come across the posters or booths. For example, I might see a poster and think, "Hey, awesome! Stress-relief colouring event!" Then, I'll walk past the table with colouring sheets and crayons and think, "Nope, can't stop by. Looks fun, but I'm crazy busy."
I wonder how many students go through a similar thought process as I do? Wanting to do stress-relieving activities, but feeling like there just isn't the time?
Thankfully, I do have items in my survey that target this issue. So, next term, I will hopefully get an answer to this question! Then, I'll have to figure out what campus services can do to help students who feel like they can't fit in the stress-relieving activities that are so important for one's mental health, and also one's success in university. My Physiological Psychology course just discussed the issue of long-term stress impacting memory: high levels cortisol, from lots of stress over time, damages brain cells in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is crucial for memory. And memory is crucial for studying. Gotta love when everything I learn ties together!
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