DON’T DISTRESS, DE-STRESS AT THE UGL DE-STRESS FEST!

As the semester winds down, the intensity always ramps up. Don’t worry, the UGL has you covered. On Reading Day, Thursday December 13th, we have programming to help curb your stress with our semesterly De-Stress Fest! Choose your own adventure by looking at the categories of programming we have below. For a concise hourly schedule, see the image at the bottom, but be sure you stick around for 8:00p.m.…because you never know what Uggles has up her sleeves—er, paws.

Flyer for Destress Fest. Image shows a very distressed student.

It’s time to Destress!

Tackling that Final Research Paper or Project?

Starting at 12:00p.m. you can join the Writers Workshop in their “Long Night Against Procrastination” to fight the monsters that are your final writing projects. Research consultations will also have extended hours starting at 2:00p.m. until 10:00p.m. in the consultation corner. The Writers Workshop will close at 11:00p.m..

The Writers Workshop will also host several activities throughout the day in the UGL lobby for you word-nerds and grammar geeks (don’t worry, everyone at the library is one too!)

Need to take a break?

The graduate assistants hear you and we want to get crafty! Come procraftinate with us all day long from 12:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. and 5:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. in the new books section of the UGL. We will have coloring pages, pet rock painting, and button making.  If you don’t have time to craft, pick up a de-stress bag full of word puzzles and brain teasers that you can use to take a break between flash cards, math problems, or book chapters!

Feeling competitive?

Come to room 289 to participate in a variety of board games, party games, and an Illini trivia session. If you can pin the tail on Uggles or beat a team of friends/strangers at trivia, you can win a small piece of sugary motivation. (Candy, the motivation is candy.) You can also play one of the board games out of the UGL board game collection!

If you’re into video games, we have that too. From 8:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. in the gaming center, come test your gamer skills on vintage games with classics like Mario Kart, Dr. Mario-Tetris, Street Fighter, and more!

Need to vent or manage your stress?

The Integrative Health and Wellness Team will be in the UGL front lobby from 12:00p.m. to 2:00p.m. and the McKinley Stress Management Peers will have stress balls available for free from 2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m.

Want to escape the real world for a while?

We hear you, and we have just the people to help! Several members of the Pathfinder Society who know how to play the popular Dungeons & Dragons Pathfinder game will be around to answer your Pathfinder related questions from 4:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. in the UGL front lobby. Then you have a chance to use your new knowledge to play a beginners scenario in UGL Group Room 11 from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m.

See our full schedule below!

The Destress Fest Full Schedule. The schedule in the image is the following. From noon to ten p.m., Trivia and Board Games in Room 289. From Noon until two p.m., Integrative Health and Wellness Team will be at the Front Tables. From Noon to four p.m. and five p.m. to eight p.m., Pet Rocks, Button Making, and Crafts in the new books area. From two p.m. to ten p.m., Research and Writing Consultations outside the Writer's Workshop. From two p.m. to four p.m., McKinley Stress Management Peers at the Front Tables. From four p.m. to six p.m., Creating your own revision vision board at the front tables. From six p.m. to eight p.m., Pathfinder Beginners Scenario in Group Room eleven and Word Games and Writing Handouts at the Front tables. At eight p.m. there is a surprise, and from eight p.m. to ten p.m. there is vintage video gaming in the Gaming Center.

The Schedule of events

Written by Paige

Edited by Zander

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Sleep and Relaxation help coming to the UGL: Mindful Mondays!

In light of recent research into the need for good sleep hygiene, the Undergraduate Library is partnering with the McKinley Health Center to provide relaxation workshops and sleep packs for students.

Mindful Mondays

Dates: Monday, October 29th; Monday, November 26th; and Monday, December 10th

Time: 15 minute sessions between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Location: Outside of the Writers Workshop on the south side of the first floor at the Undergraduate Library

McKinley staff will be available from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and hold 15-minute sessions which will include guided meditation and muscle relaxation exercises. The McKinley staff are also available to speak with students about techniques for dealing with stress. When the UGL closes at 2:30 a.m. on the Sunday nights before these days, we will be handing out sleep packs filled with an eye mask, earplugs, chamomile tea, and other useful tools for a restful night.

A sleeping cat cuddling a teddy bear

Sleep for your health

A recent article from the New York Times ties together a variety of studies involving college students, sleep, stress, and campus response to these issues. A 2010 study of 1,125 college students found that “feeling stressed was the main reason for poor student sleep, while consumption of alcohol and caffeine were not significant predictors of sleep quality.” Another study published in Nature notes that brain function begins to decline after 16 hours awake. After 20 hours, “you perform as if legally drunk.”

The McKinley Health Center logo and McKinley Wellness app appearing on a phone

The McKinley Wellness app available for you

Although lack of sleep is a strong concern among students–as well as one with serious consequences–few campus health centers have structured programs around tackling this issue. In addition to Mindful Mondays, the McKinley Health Center works to connect with students through the McKinley Wellness App. The app includes a calming memory game, a mood meter, as well as helpful tips for general wellness. To address concerns about good sleep hygiene, the Get Sleep page provides definitions and guidance regarding the issue, as well as a quick link to schedule an appointment with an expert from McKinley.

Stop by one of the Mindful Monday events throughout the rest of the semester to learn more!

Written by Jacqueline

Edited by Zander

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Fight the Flu!

Don't let yourself feel like a sick basset hound.

October is halfway over (uh, what?), midterms are almost here (say it ain’t so!), and the semester will be wrapping up before we know it (gulp!). The last thing you need to worry about on top of everything else you have to get done is being sick.

Fortunately, as students, you can get a flu shot from McKinley Health Center (if you want) for FREE! That’s right: free of charge, gratis, zip, zero dollars, cheaper than dirt, etc. And, you don’t even have to make a separate trip to McKinley if you’re already spending all of your precious free time in the UGL studying. This week, on Wednesday, Oct. 17 and Thursday, Oct. 18 from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, you can get your flu shot right in the UGL. McKinley will have a tent set up on the upper level, near the collaboration rooms.

There are several differing opinions on the importance of getting a yearly flu shot, though when living and working in highly communal areas like a university campus, the benefits may outweigh the risks. The Center for Disease Control has a detailed FAQ about the seasonal flu shot if you’re looking for more information.

If you choose to get a vaccination, all you need to do is bring your I-Card to the UGL on Wednesday or Thursday. McKinley staff will be on hand to administer the vaccines. If you can’t make it to McKinely but also think you will miss the dates in the UGL, take a peek at the whole list of McKinley’s flu shot clinics, happening around campus (they’ll also be back in the UGL on Oct. 29).

Flu shot or not, we wish everyone a healthy second half of the semester—after all, whose research and circulation questions are we going to answer if everyone is home sick?

 

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