During this time in the semester, students start to feel overworked, tired, and may lack in self-care. To help aid students over the mid-semester hump, The University of Akron’s Counseling and Testing Center is hosting “Taking Care Week” from Feb. 29 until March 4.

The week started off on Monday with a Resource Fair to give students the opportunity to learn about services the counseling center offers.

Students who passed by this event were greeted by happy faces and a bag of popcorn. Everyone’s favorite mascot, Zippy, also made an appearance at this program to lure in and uplift the spirits of the students.

To learn more in-depth about how to take care of oneself, different organizations and departments were present to inform students, including The Office of Multicultural Development, The Office of Accessibility, Student Recreation and Wellness, and the Military Services Center.

“Taking care of yourself is the most important thing that a person can do,” said Sara Bennett, psychologist and assistant director of the Counseling and Testing Center. “This helps for a student to succeed with their goals and help others.”

Bennett went on to say, “Taking care of yourself and others is essential to both mental and physical health. We are here to help with crises from test taking to different stages of anxiety. The counseling and testing center is here to help everyone.”

In regard to taking care of oneself mentally, UA freshman Colleen Prokop said, “I will go for a walk to clear my mind. I also find that writing down thoughts not related to school in a notebook helps to get my mind off of the pressures of college.”

Freshmen Catherine Schuler and Bradley Keylor gave different ways on how they deal with their stress on a day-to-day basis.

“When I feel stressed out, I like to exercise. This helps calm me down,” said Schuler.

Keylor stated, “Watching vlogs on YouTube gets rid of my stress. It gives me a chance to see other people’s perspectives on life.”

Also during Taking Care Week, there will be a managing stress fair on Wednesday, Mar. 2 in the Student Union Piano Lounge from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 3 is when the counseling center will discuss taking care of others. At this program, the Center will be bringing in therapy dogs for those who need to take a break from the stresses of college.

Friday, March 4 is the final day of the Resource Fair which will focus on the idea of taking care of oneself. Self-preservation and a positive outlook on the future will be discussed on this day.

For more information about Taking Care Week visit bit.ly/24mLbsD.

The Counseling and Testing Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. These organizations are always willing to help any student and look forward to everyone that will participate in this week’s festivities.