A warm bench sits quietly among snow and trees. A serene place to come and reflect, letting your daily stress wash away.
This place is on campus.
Campus is full of small hidden treasures that many students are unaware of despite being right in front of them. These small things can be very important if a student is looking to destress or simply treat themselves.
The aforementioned bench sits behind M-building and is part of a full lush garden. It is one of the many places on campus that are perfect to destress in the midst of a tiring day or week.
Stress can sometimes overwhelm us, especially as students, so it’s important to remember to reserve some time for yourself. There are many ways you can treat yourself, many of those being on campus, and you may not even be aware of them.
A popular way to relax recently has been going to a spa, more specifically getting a massage. What you may not know is that massages are available on campus. You can receive an hour to hour and a half massage for $35 as a student.
The clinic offers more than just relaxation treatments but also treatments for muscle-skeletal conditions that include more technical treatments that go further beyond a massage. As for stress relief, treatments for those are readily available. The treatments for stress relief would be a standard relaxation massage
“People that have anxiety and depression may not have very good sleep patterns,” said Ian Dolmage, a professor in the massage therapy program. “So, this helps to bring their level of anxiety and stress emotionally down when the neuro-muscular system is being relaxed.”
Students are already plagued by the everyday stress of school, work and home life but lack of sleep piled on top makes dealing with all the stress much more difficult. In a 2015 study published by Western University, which canvassed over 30,000 Canadian students, 90 per cent of students said they felt overwhelmed, 50 per cent
By improving sleep, you feel more prepared and are able to better handle the stress in your life. Furthermore, massage relaxation treatments remove tension in general and make you calmer throughout the day. Taking the time to treat yourself can go a long way for your mental and physical health, a sentiment echoed by Dolmage.
A guilty pleasure treat available to you is The Honour Roll Bakery located in the Savoir Fare. Cookies and treats may not be the healthiest of ways to treat yourself but they are a sure-fire way for quick enjoyment.
Maybe cookies aren’t your thing but spoiling yourself with something unhealthy is always an option from the many vending machines on campus.
Some of the little things around campus might seem obvious, but many don’t stop and take the time to look. There are clubs for things like knitting, that some may find relaxing, and events like free yoga available periodically. Doing something small for yourself can go a long way.