by Anna Hampton
Daily Lobo
Students will get a chance to try stress- and anxiety-relieving tactics today at the Focused Awareness Workshop.
The workshop costs $30 and will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. every Wednesday for the next seven weeks, excluding spring break. This is the second semester the program has been offered.
It will give students the opportunity to manage their problems, said Kathleen Schindler-Wright, a counselor at UNM's Counseling and Therapy Services.
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"It's a way to learn different techniques for managing stress, being emotionally aware and just an overall guide to healthy living," she said.
Schindler-Wright said she decided to start the workshop because individual students were benefiting from the exercises she showed them.
Students will learn how to better focus their energy on studying, Schindler-Wright said.
"People need to get experience using different types of meditation," she said. "People need to experiment to see what suits them."
Schindler-Wright will also run a one-day test anxiety workshop Feb. 15. It is free to the public.
Students from last semester's workshop are invited to refresh their skills on March 28, the final day of the workshop.
"It's hard to maintain the practice, but it's worth the benefits," she said. "You don't have to be a life-long practitioner to get the benefits of these skills."
Student Kimawio Harrison said not many students will participate in the program.
Harrison said she is busy all day walking around campus. She said reading helps her relieve stress.
"I think that the students are so busy that it would be really hard to find time to go to something like this," she said. "Massage has worked for me in the past and eating healthy."
Schindler-Wright said students will learn guided imagery, visualization and breathing techniques, among other exercises.
Visualization is a process of picturing yourself performing a task well, she said.
"There's lots of ways to use visualization - like if you have a test, you see yourself taking the test and doing well," she said.
Guided imagery is like a minivacation, Schindler-Wright said.
"Guided imagery is where you would think of a place that is really relaxing, like a beach or a forest," she said. "You can use that to unwind or before you fall asleep so you have a restful sleep."
Schindler-Wright said she likes to start the workshop at the beginning of the semester so students can use the skills during finals.
"The best part about these things is it makes you feel really good," she said. "It makes you look forward to it (the session)."
Schindler-Wright said the program is most helpful to students who get stressed out about their classes.
"If you can focus your awareness, you can study more effectively," she said. "It helps your powers of concentration if you can still your mind."
Schindler-Wright said students who are interested in the workshop should contact Counseling and Therapy Services and sign up in person or over the phone.
She said that students are comfortable in the sessions, and previous experience isn't necessary.
"People felt open to talk without being judged," she said. "You don't have to have any previous skills. You just have to have
a desire."
