As exam season approaches, students may find themselves overcome with stress and anxiety. According to TimelyCare, a website that focuses on improving the mental health of students, research suggests that “finals and midterms are the top two sources of stress for 31% of students.” These feelings of stress can result in “fatigue, headaches, stomach problems, loss of concentration, binged or reduced eating, memory loss, mood changes and feelings of loneliness and helplessness.”
To help students combat this, American River College will partner with Lend A Heart, a local non-profit organization that focuses on animal-assisted therapy.
ARC and LAH will be hosting an event on May 1 for students to de-stress from the upcoming finals exam period. In the Student Center, students will be able to stop by and take some time to relax with trained therapy dogs.
This isn’t the first time ARC will host an event of this nature this semester. An earlier event took place on Feb. 28, and students were popping in for a few minutes at a time to help relieve some of the stress they may have with exam season approaching quickly.
Paula Ackman, a volunteer from LAH, noticed a positive reaction from hosting similar functions at different schools, saying that students from the elementary level all the way up to colleges have benefited mentally.
“It makes people happy to pet the dogs,” Ackman said. “It’s relaxing.”
Ackman also had recommendations for students struggling during exam periods.
“Deep breathing. Just remember it’ll pass, it’s not something permanent,” Ackman said.
ARC students also had positive things to say about the event.
Ren Byrum, a foreign language major, appreciated the event because dogs “radiate so much love and loyalty.”
“It made my day honestly. I think it’s a great way to engage everybody in one spot,” Byrum said.
Steve Hoang, a computer science major at ARC, shared a similar sentiment.
“Our lives get busy, and we’re always studying,” Hoang said. “It’s good to come here, relax and play with the dogs.”
The students also had their own recommendations for ways to relax during any stressful time you may find yourself in.
Hoang finds that getting in some exercise and making sure to take study breaks are helpful in the quest for a stress free exam season. Byrum enjoys watching her favorite shows.
Students can stay updated on things that are happening on campus by checking the ARC events calendar.
