Lethbridge College students find unique way to destress

If anyone knows stress, it’s college students, and the next few weeks are arguably the most stressful on many campuses.

“It’s like exam after exam and it’s just been stressful,” said Lethbridge College student Tiffany Weasel Head. “All those long nights of papers I had to write. Those research papers, quizzes [and] exams.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's like exam after exam and it's just been stressful," said Lethbridge College student Tiffany Weasel Head. "All those long nights of papers I had to write. Those research papers, quizzes [and] exams."

It’s why the Lethbridge College Students’ Association (LCSA) gave its members a relatively safe way to release some of it with its second stress smash event.

It’s one of the latest options of stress relief students can use to get over what are traditionally some of the most onerous weeks of the school year.

“They still have that final push of final exams that they need to get over. So I think there’s a little bit of excitement, but there’s also the stress that comes with that last push,” said the college’s health promotion coordinator, Harmoni Jones.

She said there are a number of options available to students and there are similar events on campus like having stress therapy dogs visit the school.

Jones said there is proof the canines help release endorphins which help the body, but admits there’s no scientific evidence that shows smashing things will bring down stress levels.

Despite that, many students breathed a sigh of relief when they passed the sledgehammer off to the next one in the ring.

Weasel Head wasn’t sure what to expect from the exercise but said after taking a few swings, she’s feeling ready to tackle her four exams scheduled for next week.

“I was actually scared at first, but after I really felt good and it was like my shoulders felt like a lot of stress came off of them,” she said.