VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Student Government hosts Wellness Week to ease pre-finals pressure
Jack Watson: With finals for Syracuse University students starting in the coming days, high stress and long hours of studying can feel overwhelming. The Student Government Association hosted a series of events this week including picky pad making on Tuesday, Planting Positivity on Wednesday, and a night of journaling and poetry at the Barner McDuffie House. Assembly Member Micheala Cardova says it is important to support students during one of the most stressful parts of the semester.
Micheala Cardova: You know, it’s important. Mental Health is very important, and it should be prioritized. Especially during a very stressful time of year.
Watson: Syracuse student Alan Gardner came to the poetry event looking for a break from the pressure and found exactly what he needed.
Alan Gardner: I think it is really important because the world can be a lot to take on, and it can get really confusing. And if you don’t try to slow it down for yourself at times I think it gets too overwhelming, and it becomes very hard to manage.
Watson: While this event focuses on the mental health of students with finals coming up, this event also serves as a good purpose for students to write down their thoughts.
Cardova: Sometimes when you are stressed and you are studying alone in the library or your room for hours, you can feel very alone. Sharing your feelings, sharing your experiences with others can make you realize you are not alone, and there are other people that have similar experiences.
Watson: Alan says having space to journal and reflect can help students manage their workload without pushing themselves too far.
Gardner: Another thing is I think it is really important because people start to go to crazy measures to study all night and who knows what they are doing in between to keep them up. I think it’s good to help you keep pace.
Watson: Organizers from the Student Government Organization hope these events give students the chance to step back, breathe, and remember they do not have to handle the stress on their own. Reporting from the Barner McDuffie House at Syracuse University, Jack Watson, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — As Syracuse University students gear up for finals in the coming days, many are feeling the strain of long study hours and mounting pressure. To help ease that stress, the Student Government Association organized a week of wellness events aimed at giving students space to slow down and breathe.
The events included picky pad making on Tuesday, Planting Positivity on Wednesday and a journaling and poetry night Thursday at the Barner McDuffie House. Assembly member Micheala Cardova said the goal is to support students during one of the toughest points in the semester.
“Mental health is very important, and it should be prioritized,” Cardova said. “Especially during a very stressful time of year.”
Junior Alan Gardner attended the poetry night looking for a break from studying. He said the chance to pause and reflect helped him regain control during a hectic week.
“The world can be a lot to take on, and it can get really confusing,” Gardner said. “If you don’t try to slow it down for yourself at times, it gets too overwhelming, and it becomes very hard to manage.”
Cardova said the event encourages students to process their feelings instead of isolating themselves.
“When you are stressed and studying alone in the library or your room for hours, you can feel very alone,” she said. “Sharing your feelings and experiences can make you realize you’re not alone.”
Gardner added that giving students a healthy way to decompress can prevent them from pushing themselves too far during finals season.
“People start to go to crazy measures to study all night, and who knows what they are doing in between to keep them up,” he said. “I think it’s good to help you keep pace.”
Organizers say they hope the wellness week reminds students that they do not have to navigate finals stress by themselves.