Self care is a crucial element that all college students should practice to maintain peace during the usual semesterly chaos. For those who may not be familiar, however, the Student Health Center was ready to help with its Self Care Fair in the library on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
This event featured plenty of activities for students to take a minute and de-stress in between classes, such as pumpkin painting, sensory bins and coloring sheets. The real stars of the show, however, were the emotional support water bottles that students got a chance to decorate.
These tumblers were a hit and ran out before the first hour. The event ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., but since it was advertised that only the 150 students would be able to receive a tumbler to decorate, students began to line up before doors opened.
Health Center Wellness Coordinator Carli Dilorenzo helped run and coordinate this event with the help of the Health Center ‘street squad.’ She is a strong believer in self care, especially for LSU students.
“Self care is everything,” Dilorenzo said. “It’s really easy to get burnt out with all the stuff that students have going on.”
Dilorenzo said that this event was designed to teach students how to incorporate minor yet impactful self care habits into their day to day. She believes that small tasks, like remembering to drink water, are healthy habits to implement into daily life — which was exactly what inspired the Health Center staff to bring out the emotional support water bottles.
“I just want them to learn one new self care act, whether that is using a fidget toy for anxiety, or if it’s trying out the tea that we gave out for helping calm students, or staying hydrated with the water bottles,” Dilorenzo said.
Beyond the customizable water bottles, students were also able to create their own self care toolkits from “Self Care Bar,” a table loaded with fidgets, sensory items, pins with affirmation and journals. Behind this ingenious idea was Jasmine Garrison, a graduate assistant at the Health Center.
“I always tell people, ‘take care of yourself before anybody else,’” Garrison said. “It’s a very tough world out there, so anything [students] can grab and use to calm down, take it.”
Garrison and Dilorenzo both advised students at the event to take advantage of the on-campus resources available if they are stressed or just need support.
“If you are stressed about time management, we have a bunch of resources here on campus for students that are free for them to reach out to,” Dilorenzo said. “We help students meet them where they’re at and kind of help guide them manage that stress level. So I highly recommend using your resources. Reach out.”
The Student Health Center hosts frequent events like these as a way to give students relief during stressful times in the semester. If you missed the Self Care Fair in the library but are still looking to get some wellness support, the Center is happy to help students relax and unwind at any point in their journey at LSU.
“Classes can be very stressful, especially towards the end of the semester,” Dilorenzo said. “So we want to make sure that you guys are aware of all the resources you guys have to help prevent that burnout from happening.”
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