California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State) Psychological Counseling Services Department counselors, Martha Cuan, Jennifer Staffero and Kassidy Liles, welcomed in students for a stress management workshop on Thursday.
The workshop took place in the Mary Stuart Rogers (MSR) building in 130C from 12 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. where a small group of students attended.
Pamphlets for additional workshops are provided by Psychological Counseling Services and LGBTQ+ Counseling groups. 
For many college students, stress can play a big role in their lives. It is difficult having to find time to balance school, work, social life and family. The stress management workshop aimed to help students find solutions to manage their stress and provide a helicopter view of what it is like to balance time and priorities.
Stan State students were asked what stressed them out the most. The main responses given were based on money, relationships, time management, deadlines and homework/exams.
Since those are very common stresses, counselors, Cuan and Staffero, presented a work-life balance wheel that was created to help students track the hours they spend on the things they do on a daily basis.
Learning how to balance time, priorities and responsibilities accordingly is very important but can also be difficult to manage.
“When we see how others are able to do so much we ask, ‘How come I can’t do it?’ It’s not fair to us to compare ourselves to someone else because we cannot see the support system they have,” Counselor Cuan stated.
Life can be a lot easier when there’s a strong support system that helps keep things together. Even if there isn’t, it can always be created with the help of family, friends or partners that provide aid when needed.
During the discussion, students mentioned that they sometimes spend their time relaxing but feel guilty because they know there are things to be done.
“First generation students are expected to feel guilty, but setting boundaries is a good thing. It’s okay to say no,” Counselor Staffero said.
Since so much pressure is placed on students, feelings of guilt arise when they choose to make time for themselves, but it’s important to understand that one of the strategies to reduce stress is taking care of yourself.
A self-care wheel was introduced and consisted of professional, personal, physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual elements that help balance life. Each part of the wheel focused on numerous amounts of activities and ideas that helped in reducing stress.
Some solutions to managing stress were presented by the YouTube video, Stress Management Strategies: Ways to Unwind, which provided information on how stress can affect the mind and body. Some tips to unwind were, warm baths, progressive muscle relaxation (clenching of the body), exercise and going out with friends.
Stress relieving techniques also included a breathing exercise which was demonstrated by assistant Kassidy Liles. After the exercise, students reported feeling “relaxed”, “calm”, and mentioned how it didn’t feel like five minutes.
Karina Ochoa (Junior, Business Administration) provided feedback on her experience.
“Taking a few minutes to meditate can really help calm the mind and from what I learned today, it helps retain information. So, I look forward to using this stress management exercise for all of my exams,” Ochoa said.
The workshop followed with the power of the word “YET”. Where negative phrases like, “I don’t get it”, “I can’t do this”, or “This doesn’t work” can be assisted by “yet” at the end of every sentence which helps in developing a more positive mindset.
Resources were offered as self-care strategies to reduce stress and included: Student Health Center (SHC), Psychological Counseling Services (PCS), Disability Resource Services (DRS), and Faculty Mentorship Program (FMP). These services are offered to all students, faculty and staff.
A list of wellness workshops for this month are provided.

• Wednesday, October 11–Resiliencyat 1:00p.m.-2:30p.m. in MSR 130C
• Thursday, October 19- Anxiety and Depression at1:00p.m.-2:30p.m in MSR 260
• Tuesday, October 24- When Social and Political Polarization Lead to Anxiety: Having Constructive Dialogues at 1:00p.m.-2:30p.m. in MSR 130C

For additional information on these workshops or Psychological Counseling Services, visit www.csustan.edu/counseling.