Unwind Your Mind teaches university students to de-stress

Kimberly Smith is in a rush. She juggles a cup of the coffee and a pile of textbooks in her gloved hands as she pushes through the doors to the medical library at the University of Alberta.

Like many other students in December, she doesn’t have a lot of time to spare.

By 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Smith has already finished two practical exams for her master’s degree in physical therapy. The day before, she spent four hours writing two other finals.

Now, she’s come to the library to get ready for the three other exams she has to write before the week ends.

“You get to know your studying habits. I know, for instance, to come to the library and spend a solid six hours here,” she said.

“You want to put your life on hold and do finals ... but sometimes you just can’t. You have relationships, you have sick parents, you have a job to hold down.”

A few feet behind Smith, a dozen student sit quietly in a small room as a yoga instructor leads them in meditation.

Health unit uses yoga, therapy dogs to help students unwind

Yoga is one of the activities hosted by Unwind Your Mind, a program to help students deal with the stress that stacks up in finals season.

The two-week event, hosted in part by the university’s Healthy Campus Unit, offers traditional exam prep help with a variety of stress-relieving strategies including cooking demonstrations, board games and visits with therapy dogs.

“Student health is so complex, there are so many factors,” said Melissa Visconti, team lead for the unit.

“It’s really about helping students find balance during this busy time.”

Visconti said that Unwind Your Mind started four years ago as a small booth in the medical library to give out information for students about the different services that were available to them. 

It has since spread to all eight campus libraries.

The program now sets up quiet spaces in the library that are full of puzzles and paperbacks to help students unwind.

Volunteers rove the library stacks, handing out granola bars and bananas to students in need of a study break and a bit of sustenance.

Program is part of larger 'final survival' trend

Visconti said test anxiety has always been an issue for students, but says the current generation face other, additional pressures: full-time jobs, high tuition and student debt, and volunteer hours required by many programs.

Unwind Your Mind is part of a trend of schools putting attention towards helping students deal with stress around exam time. Many institutions in Canada and the United States provide de-stressing events and “final survival” programs.

The students association at MacEwan University has also held therapy dog events for students around exam time.

Visconti said it is part of a push from post-secondary schools to seriously address mental health on campus. She said that it not only pays off with healthier students, but also better grades.

“Stress is a factor impacting academics,” she said.

“We’ve shifted gears on how we're approaching services and access to services.”