North Texas Daily

With finals season approaching, various departments and organizations on campus are preparing to support the student body by providing resources during this often stressful time. 

Exams are the biggest stressor for 89 percent of college students, according to a nationwide survey by the American Addiction Center. On campus, the Student Health and Wellness Center has several programs planned to combat said stress. 

“Outside of clinical services we also offer quite a few stress management programs available from the Meadows Center for Health Resources, including an online meditation class that provides training over eight different videos that [talk] about how to meditate,” said Kerry Stanhope, assistant director of the Meadows Center for Health Resources. “Students can also meet with one of the health education staff and talk about what their current stresses are and try to determine coping skills.” 

The SHWC will host a DIY stress management kit event ahead of finals week on April 20 and 21, where students can drop by Union 341 to put together their own stress management kits. The kits will include items such as coloring books, bubble soaps and healthy snacks.

During finals week, the SHWC is partnering with the University Program Council to put on “De-stress Fest.” This event will take place on the Monday and Tuesday of finals week and will provide de-stressing activities such as rock painting, pet therapy and dance classes. The location for the event has not yet been determined. 

Student organizations are also planning their own events regarding finals week, including the group Active Minds, which promotes open conversations about mental health. Political science and media arts senior Katie Whitefield serves as the treasurer of Active Minds and said any university students are welcome to come to meetings. 

“We have a meeting planned around how to destress before finals [arrive] and we usually just talk about taking time to rest, eating food, drinking water and also just prioritizing your mental health because it’s really easy to become overwhelmed,” Whitefield said. “We want to make Active Minds a space where you can go and kind of relax and relieve some of the anxiety you may have geared around your classes and finals.”

Finance sophomore Nathan Berry said he feels increased stress when finals season comes around, especially on top of other everyday stressors such as figuring out housing arrangements for the next semester. 

“The finals are stressful because I am trying to cram a semester of studies into a short time,” Berry said. “Therapist-taught coping exercises could be extremely helpful for students in general.” 

Stanhope said he encourages students to take advantage of the available resources and recommends several ways to manage stress during finals season. Planning ahead, taking breaks and spending time outside are all ways students can decompress during finals week, Stanhope said. 

“We really recommend students take breaks from studying,” Stanhope said. “A lot of people want to spend like four or six hours at one time cramming or studying and reviewing notes, but after a certain amount of time, your brain actually stops taking in the information and it can actually have a detrimental effect on you.”

Stanhope said he recommends students take a 15-minute break for every hour of studying they plan to do and limit study time to two- or three-hour blocks at a time. 

Students can stay up to date with university events at the Division of Student Affairs website at studentaffairs.unt.edu/events.

Featured Illustration By Erika Sevilla