Charline Bearden
cbearden@foghornnews.com
Homework. Deadlines. Bills. Family. Job. Let’s face it — being a student comes with a lot of stress and pressure. No worries, though, because the Counseling Center has you covered with Kickback Wednesday. Every week through April, students can join counselors from 4-4:30 p.m. in Room 432A of the White Library. Attendees can bring pillows and blankets as they are guided in several techniques to help manage stress and pressure.
Sarah Soto, a licensed professional counselor intern, said some of the techniques being used include guided imagery, which uses components of hypnosis, and progressive muscle relaxation, plus others. The idea for Kickback Wednesday came from similar sessions being done on the West campus with the nursing students. The sessions will be led by Soto along with counselors Karen Silva and Kandace Fricke-Sweetman.
Beth Hattox, an assistant instructor, along with her husband, David Hattox, chairman of engineering and advance technology and instructor of computer science, recently attended a Kickback Wednesday session.
“I was definitely feeling some stress,” Beth Hattox said, when they arrived to the dimly lit room and took a seat at a table with a small group.
“I felt lighter and calm and the 15-20 minutes it took is small compared to feeling better for rest of the day and I highly recommend it,” she said after the session.
The benefits to Kickback Wednesday are numerous, such as decreased anxiety, increased focus and help with PTSD, the counselors said. Once students can learn to practice theses self-care techniques their overall performance in school and life in general will seem easier to manage.
For those unable to attend but who still need help dealing with stress, Soto suggested a few apps such as Pacifica, Headspace and Calm.
