Haleigh Patch
Equinox Staff
The Relaxation Break on Reading Day event was the perfect way for students to unwind before finals and learn how to develop strategies for managing stress. The event was held on Monday, Dec. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center. It is supported by the Counseling Center, the Center for Health and Wellness, Active Minds, the Newman Center and Monadnock Therapy Pets. The KSC bookstore donated gift cards for raffle prizes.
There were multiple activities available to students along with soothing music playing throughout the Student Center. Students were given “passports” which are booklets that could get stamped at every table when they participated in an activity. Students had to collect at least three stamps to enter in the raffle.
There was an arts and crafts and a creativity table where students could build with legos, color and play with play-doh. The Active Minds Club had a “stick with it” table where students could color stickers and take home pins with positive messages. Students could make eye pillows, where they would fill socks up with rice and natural scents such as peppermint or lavender for aromatherapy purposes to relax or stay focused, depending on the scent. There were stress erasers and therapy dogs brought from the Monadnock Humane Society that students could pet. There were also healthy snacks provided by the Health and Wellness Center such as yogurt parfaits and orange cranberry infused water, and pamphlets on eating healthy and its benefits.
Assistant Director of Emotional Health Programming and Outreach Forrest Seymour said this event has occurred every semester during reading day for the past eight years. He said the purpose of this event is to provide students with a break in the middle of finals and to help them develop better strategies for managing stress. Seymour said some of the activities at the event help students learn sleep hygiene, which is how to get a better sleep, along with mindfulness and meditation related techniques.
The president of the Active Minds Club Jessica Caldwell said they have co-sponsored this event with the Counseling Center every year and they often do many events together. Active Minds is a special interest group on campus that focuses on supporting mental health awareness and education for students.
She said the purpose of this event is to give students a day to relax and to take a minute for themselves. Caldwell said when it comes to managing stress, it is important to take time out of your day to relax.
“Take time to do your school work but also take the time to relax, it can be a way to reward yourself from all your hard work,” Caldwell said.
Junior Maddie Clement has attended Relaxation Break every year. She said she would recommend this event to someone experiencing stress from finals and that the college has great resources available for students.
“I think it’s a great way to forget about everything you need to do and to take a second for yourself,” Clement said.
Haleigh Patch can be contacted at
hpatch@kscequinox.com
