Unwind During Exam Season With De-Stress Fest

With the end of the semester approaching, it’s important for students to find time to unwind, relax and take care of their wellness amid the hustle and bustle of preparing for their final exams. 

Fortunately, Wellness and Recreation, in collaboration with several campus partners, is providing the opportunity to do just that. De-Stress Fest, the popular semesterly series of wellness events during exam season, will run from Dec. 3-11. 

“It’s designed to provide the space for students to recharge, celebrate their successes at the end of the semester and make it across that finish line,” said Cameron Nix, Wellness and Recreation’s wellness programs coordinator. “It’s really about recognizing all the hard work we’ve put into all of our activities throughout the semester and making it to the end.”

De-Stress Fest features events in NC State’s libraries, dining halls, campus community centers and more. 

The goal, Nix said, is to “reduce stress, not contribute to it with events that feel like a chore.”

“We really want to reach students where they are naturally,” she said. 

This semester’s De-Stress Fest will feature several events on both main and Centennial Campus, part of a growing effort by both Wellness and Recreation and other campus partners to feature events on Centennial. 

“We try to contribute events on Centennial Campus throughout the year, but definitely at the end of the year, we spike our efforts to be there during times of higher need, especially to meet the needs of students that are already there,” Nix said. 

In addition to Wellness and Recreation, several campus partners have joined the effort to host a variety of De-Stress Fest events. 

This year, that group includes the Women’s Center, African American Cultural Center, NC State Libraries, NC State Dining, the Counseling Center, College of Engineering and more. University Human Resources will also hold a gratitude webinar for faculty and staff. 

“It’s incredibly important,” Nix said. “Our whole initiative is to create a culture of care and support for students. We also want to leverage our campus partners. As big as Wellness and Recreation is, we don’t reach the entire campus population. So we want to make sure that all members of campus are reflected in the programs and the partners that we integrate into the week.”

De-Stress Fest aims to give students an opportunity to take care of their mental and physical wellness during the exam season. 

It’s easy to get caught up in constant studying and exam preparation to the detriment of other aspects of a student’s life, and it’s important for them to still find time for social connection and wellness. 

“We know that this is a period of high stress naturally, so it’s incredibly important that students have the space to practice self-care in these times of high need,” Nix said. “With mindfulness, we want to recognize that this is a stressful time period and students need to find ways to cope through times of high stress.”

“Across all campus partners, across all departments, there’s been an increase in participation among De-Stress Fest, which we love to see,” Nix said. 

Several events are back by popular demand for this De-Stress Fest. 

These include “Howl and Chill: Whine and Design,” a guided painting exercise, “Snack Fairies” in the NC State libraries and Exam Essentials Kits giveaways.

“As De-Stress Fest has become more established over the years, these are events that students can already be on the lookout for,” Nix said. “We’ve been paying more attention to know what students want from these events, for example, what nutritional snacks they’re looking for or what resources we can put into a giveaway kit that are beneficial to them.” 

This year’s edition will also feature a few new events, including a “Cocoa and Crafts” event from the College of Engineering and “Pop-Up Jeopardy” from the Women’s Center. 

“What we really want students to take away from this in addition to finding the space to practice self-care is that, as I like to say, self-care is care provided for you by you. Not every one of these events is going to be essential for a student to attend. But hopefully when they look at the list of the events, they do find something that resonates with them.”

For a full list of events, see https://wellrec.dasa.ncsu.edu/destress-fest/.