Students gathered in the Student Union on Wednesday to learn helpful techniques and tricks to de-stress for finals.

The StressLess Fest, held at the end of both the spring and fall semesters, had various offerings for students and faculty members. Including a painting table, two different mental health care practices, free produce, emotional support dogs, and free massages courtesy of students from AACC’s massage therapy program. 

“If you just want a moment of, like, mindfulness and just, like, taking care of yourself,” Adriana Jones, first-year health and human services student, said. “To find peace a little bit. … Petting the animals is really [good for that] … [it’s a] fun time. And doing this is very grounding.” 

The Health and Wellness Center collaborated with the Office of Student Engagement to host the StressLess Fest.

Michelle Chavez, a first-year business major, said she really enjoyed the event because it helped her “connect with people, for sure. Because I don’t really know a lot of people here [on campus].”

Stephanie Jenkins, a registered nurse, wellness specialist, and substance misuse expert, helped organize the event.

“[We] wanted to give [students] some other strategies and things that they could do, like painting a canvas, or therapy dogs, or, you know, massage therapy,” Jenkins, said. “So, things that we could do to just help them and give them different ideas of ways to reduce stress.”