Pause the panic

2–3 minutes

An overview of De-Stress Week

It’s that time of year again: Christmas decorations are going up, sleigh bells are ringing, and Santa Claus is coming to town. However, for most students, none of this matters as they face one last hurdle before Winter Break: finals week. To help alleviate some of the stress associated with this demanding time, the AHS Equity team organized De-Stress Week to overlap with finals week, offering students a chance to relax. They planned a host of activities that catered to many types of students in hopes of lifting students’ moods and taking their minds off finals for a while.

As Vaishu Kalamula (12) explained, “We tried our best to make sure everyone gets the support they need. For example, we have things like the bubble-popping event during lunch for social interactions, while also providing care packages for those who want little trinkets to help them cool down without going to group events.”

While these activities are meant to help other students relax, they have a positive impact on the leadership team as well, as Anisha Aggarwal (11) explained. “Even though it’s a lot of work for us, it really brings me joy to know that I have made other people happy and made their lives somewhat easier.”

The leadership team also incorporates other tactics to give students a little boost of reassurance. Aggarwal explained, “We are trying to publicize all the mental health resources that are out there—like the wellness center and our counselors—and hopefully remind students that it’s going to be alright.”

Students appreciated these coordinated efforts by the leadership team to help relieve them of stress. As Trisha Rath (11) pointed out, “In my last final, when I was feeling very overwhelmed, I squished the squish toy I got from the destress package to help calm down my nervous system and let me focus with a clearer mind.”

The events also proved useful to many students, including Rath. “I had not been able to get much sleep the night before the Monday of finals week because I was so stressed, so a cup of coffee in the morning really cheered me up and got me ready to start the week on a good note.”

The care packages are always one of our most successful ideas; they run out within minutes as kids rush to grab them,” said Aggarwal (Photo Credit: Risha Rao (12)).