No matter how good the semester was, finals week is dreaded by all college students. Despite how prepared a student might feel, the stress and pressure of these exams can be toxic for the mental health and well being of students.
UWG works hard to provide opportunities for students to take a break and de-stress during finals week. Helpful tools like tutoring and study supplies are available along with relaxation tools like massage therapy and late night breakfast. On Dec. 2, UWG’s University Recreation offered a Finals Flow Yoga Night session for students to take a breather and relocate their stress to a healthier outlet.
Brae Mooney, a UWG student preparing for finals attended the session to help her relieve stress from the week.
“I really felt like I was able to de-stress from finals and focus on something else for a little bit,” said Mooney.
The session went from 6 to 8 p.m. and helped about 20 students relax and recharge. The class started with an icebreaker where students were able to introduce themselves by sharing what exams they had coming up in an attempt to release stress vocally before starting the session.
“There were a lot of breathing and stretching exercises,” said Mooney. “The class was mainly focused on calming and grounding techniques.
The University Recreation offers yoga year round with weekly beginner level yoga classes and also special events like this one. In the past students have attended events like Candlelight Yoga and Glow in the Dark Yoga but this one was planned specifically to use techniques to deal with stress. Even the music played during the session was meant to create a stress free sensation.
“There was a good mix of mediation music and chill R&B, which I really liked, that made it a very calming atmosphere,” said Mooney.
No matter the difficulty level, yoga has proven to have positive emotional benefits. It releases dopamine and serotonin and is shown to improve energy and positivity. Despite their slow moving and controlled movements, yoga also increases heart rate giving physical benefits as well as emotional. Following proper yoga techniques can show results similar to ones medications can give, and oftentimes is a much more healthy outlet than market medications.
One of the most helpful techniques used during the session was a breathing exercise done with a candle that focused on dealing with stress through a healthier outlet.
“The instructor brought little artificial candles for us to hold when we did meditation to make it
feel like we were sparing our mentality towards finals into the candle instead of exams while taking deep breaths,” said Mooney.
UWG has many more opportunities this week to help prepare students for finals week and make it seem less daunting through Operation Pass Finals. For more detailed information on events visit the UWG website to see the events calendar.
“I’d definitely look into going to more events like this,” said Mooney. “I feel a lot better about my exams coming up after this class.”