Students gathered in the Amphitheater Tuesday at the Chick-fil-A Chill Out event to learn about stress and anxiety management.
Faced with an assignment to complete a service project for the leadership minor in the Commerce School, fourth-year College student Jeff Kratky decided to organize the event.
“If you go to the library over exam week, everyone is always talking about how they’re freaking out and everyone thinks that they’re so stressed out but everyone else has it all together,” Kratky said. “I wanted to do a fun, mental heath-type event to try and reach out to as [many] people as possible.”
Kratky said he wanted to make sure the event was fun and marketable to attract students.
While waiting in line for Chick-fil-A, students were given fliers with resources and tips on how to deal with stress. The flier reminded students that everyone has three huge fears: that they are crazy, alone and their situation is permanent.
However, the event reminded students must that stress is really N-U-T-S — normal, universal, temporary and solvable. Students were also asked to write down the major source of stress in their lives.
“A few hundred students came by, so another part of the project will be analyzing what people said as feedback and then giving [Counseling and Psychological Services and] the dean of students … a better understanding of what people are freaking out about on Grounds,” Kratky said.
Dr. Jason Freeman, associate professor in psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences, was invited to speak at the event after Kratky listened to advice he provided on stress management to student athletes.
“The purpose is to remind everybody that stress is a part of our lives and it’s actually a healthy part of our lives,” Freeman said. “Stress is something that allows us to be our best when we interpret it well and take the opportunity to work with it.”
Because a major cause of stress is the pursuit of perfection, Freeman said the event was a reminder for students that no one is perfect and embracing one’s flaws can be an opportunity to learn and grow.
“If U.Va. students are able to do that, they’re going to get a tremendous amount out of a very difficult and trying experience that will lead them to be better men and women in the future,” Freeman said.
Dean of Students Allen Groves was also present at the event. Kratky said he reached out to Groves because “if something bad happens on Grounds, he’s the first one to know — so from his point of view, he deals with stress more than anybody.”
When faced with stress, Freeman said the first thing students must do is talk to themselves kindly.
“I think we lapse into moments of being overly harsh with ourselves about how we should be handling stress and how we should be showing ourselves in the face of stress,” Freeman said.
Exercise, socializing, communicating with friends and alone time are all ways to help manage stress, Freeman said.
In terms of managing stress, Kratky said he likes to make a to-do list.
“I plan out my days in the week. I’m pretty forgetful if I don’t write things down so that helps me stay on top of things,” Kratky said. “Also, just listening to music and hanging out with friends [helps me].” Kratky said.
Although stress is normal, Freeman said there is a point when too much can become unhealthy and unhelpful.
“If your stress level or the way you’re handling stress is starting to become ineffective or overwhelming, there are a number of different resources around grounds that can assist with this,” Freeman said.
Some of these resources include CAPS, the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center and the Mary D. Ainsworth Clinic.
Freeman said he wants students to think about stress as an opportunity to become better.
“The stress won’t stop when you leave U.Va., so learning to deal with it here is a great foot forward for what comes next,” Freeman said.
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