Group sessions help students cope with stress
Feel Better Fast meets every Friday in Simmons Hall room 306.
October 20, 2014
The Counseling and Testing Center is hosting meetings every week to help students cope with the stresses of college life.
The Feel Better Fast group, led by group co-facilitators Jiyoon Lee, Ph.D., and Kia-Rai Prewitt, M.A. helps students in a variety of areas including personal happiness, relationship skills, finding their passion and improving communication skills.
According to Lee, the group is designed to reinforce positive stress relief strategies, while also helping students to navigate the semester.
Each meeting has a different theme that helps students in a different area of their lives.
The meeting, which took place on Friday, Oct. 17, focused on savoring the moment and included an exercise involving savoring every step of opening and eating a piece of candy.
Lee, who conducted the session, had the students in attendance hold the piece of candy in their hand, focus on the weight of candy and the design on the wrapper.
The students unwrapped the candy, but were not allowed to eat it. They were instructed to smell the candy and touch it to their lips, not yet eating it.
When the students were finally able to eat their candy, Lee told them to focus on the texture of the candy as well as the taste and to pay attention to any thoughts, feelings or emotions they experienced while eating their candy.
This brief exercise in savoring the moment as well as temperance, was meant to illustrate to those in attendance about taking a moment in their stressful days to relax, even if it is something as simple as eating a hard candy.
The sessions also allow plenty of opportunities to ask questions about reducing stress and receive advice from knowledgeable sources. The group aims to create a warm and supportive environment where students can share their experiences without judgment from others.
Feel Better Fast meets every Friday through Tuesday, Nov. 21 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Simmons Hall room 306. All are welcome to the sessions and students are encouraged to attend. For more information on the sessions, call (330)972-7082.
