As many students know, with midterms and studying for them often comes stress and anxiety. In order to help relieve this stress, the Shanti club will host a series of ten-minute meetings the morning of each midterm day in room 8204 under the instruction of eighth-grader Saumya Narang. Each day will focus on a different way to tackle stress, a prevalent subject among midterm-taking students.
Narang decided to take action and provide an outlet to reduce the ever-so-present stress. “With Heritage students battling stress every day, I think it’s important for them to take a little bit of time out of their day to take care of themselves and just let go of everything that’s pressuring them,” Narang said.
To accomplish this, the meetings will focus on three methods to relieve stress. Monday (Dec. 16) will present on breathing exercises; Tuesday will feature yoga poses and Wednesday will showcase different meditation techniques.
The Shanti club, whose name derives from the Sanskrit word “shanti” meaning peace, focuses on stress and began hosting these meetings during finals last year. “Students need to find proactive, positive ways to deal with situations they deem stressful. There are too many students who don’t smile or sleep enough. Students, as well as teachers, need to stop sometimes and just breathe,” club advisor Mrs. Beth Vera said.
The Shanti club hosts meetings every other Thursday in room 8204 from 3:15 to 4:00 and teaches students similar techniques to the ones they will explore during the pre-exam ones. “From laughter therapy by watching vines to traditional deep breathing exercises, the club was created to help students feel better, even during stressful situations,” Mrs. Vera said. “The challenge of this club is to convince students that it is important to hit the pause button on life and take 45 minutes out of the chaos to attend the meetings and experience the benefits. Hopefully, it will start with 45 minutes twice a month and transform into a lifestyle.”
As for tips on how to approach midterm-induced stress, Mrs. Vera recommends creating a daily schedule and organizing study information into smaller sections, adding that taking a short break will help increase productivity. “My advice to students who are stressed about exams is this: Just breathe in and breathe out,” Narang added. “You’ve got this.”
