On March 14, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on Campus clubs collaborated for a “Hands on Mental Health” event, featuring destressing activities to offer students a break from their regular schedules.
“Mental health isn’t talked about enough,” said Eza Chaudhry, junior business administration management major. “I think it’s so important because you never know what someone is going through. There’s so much stigma around college, and many students here are first generation college students, so there’s a lot of pressure and it can be difficult to deal with it alone. Having places to destress like this event are important and I think we need to be doing more than that.”
To encourage students, faculty and staff alike to destress, focus on their health and relax, the clubs were handing out various relaxation items. These featured a variety of facemasks with different ingredients, like collagen and vitamins, snacks and 24k gold eye masks.
Some frequently find these self-care initiatives, like face masks, beneficial to their mental health as it is an easy way to do something for no other purpose besides personal betterment.
“I live in a world of stress,” said Morgan Steiner, GSA president. “So I love reading, relaxing and rewatching my favorite shows.”
The event also featured a stress hand making station, which has been a staple to many’s mental health care. As outlined in an article from the American Institute of Stress, due to stress creating tension within the body that needs to be released, squeezing a stress ball allows for a release of some of that energy. It also has benefits in strengthening the muscles in the hand and relieving arthritis pain.
NAMI is a national nonprofit seeking to end the stigma surrounding mental health while also providing avenues to help those in crisis, or to prevent a crisis from occurring. They frequently host events, similar to “Hands on Mental Health” to further connect with students who may be struggling.
GSA is a club on campus driving diversity, acceptance and support initiatives on campus. They have held a variety of recent events such as a Title IX discussion and Rainbow Bingo hosted by drag queens.
Events still yet to be held include the Starlight Ball in celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility on March 30 at 7 p.m. in the Ballroom, followed by a Transgender flag raising day, March 31 at 1 p.m. on the Greenway.
For more information, take to their instagram page, @gsawilkes or reach out to Dr. Helen Davis at [email protected] or Morgan Steiner at [email protected].