MISHAWAKA—Being a college student means dealing with stress and anxiety about grades, exams, athletics, social well-being, and much more. Sometimes the weight of it all can be overwhelming. Bethel’s Wellness Center (located east of Sufficient Grounds) offers an anxiety management group to help students deal with that stress.
Staff Counselor Chelsey Luke, said, “This is a group for people who struggle with all types of anxiety—panic attacks, testing anxiety, general worry and stress about what is happening in one’s life. Now we are learning about what is anxiety and giving statistics on that and working on managing those symptoms. Also, the idea that we can learn practical ways to deal with those stressors. My hope is that more people on campus are aware that this group is happening and are willing to seek out that help.”
This is not a typical process group where individuals share their issues and work on solutions like a support group, but is more for educational purposes. Students learn techniques to handle stress and anxiety they may face in the everyday life.
Luke said, “Learning practical ways of how to deal with stressors and knowing how to recognize when you are starting to feel anxious—what happens in your body and in your mind—can be really helpful in being able to manage the symptoms that you experience afterwards.”
The group meets every Monday from 4 to 5 p.m., in the Academic Center, room 205. It will meet has already met for two sessions and will meet for two more. Anyone is free to come to meetings, even if they have not attended previously. The group has addressed the topic of panic attacks and will be talking about testing anxiety in the coming meetings. The sessions are also interactive and are not the same as sitting through a lecture, Luke said.