By Danielle Ng and Sarah Matlick

College is hard enough for most students. Then, when you add on your extracurriculars, jobs and a social life, it gets even harder. On top of that, balancing everything while trying to work on your mental health becomes the icing on top of the massively challenging cake. However, the University of Oregon has great resources for students to help balance all of these issues. Here’s a look at a couple of different UO resources to help with combating college stress.

The Duck Nest
Located on the first floor of the EMU, the Duck Nest “helps develop self-care and life-balance strategies related to stress, food security, physical health, and general wellness.” There are many different programs that students can partake in, this past term events have included a virtual cooking class, a stress and anxiety workshop, therapy dogs, and much more. The Duck Nest location itself is also a very welcoming place, complete with nap rooms, aromatherapy oils and coloring books. The Duck Nest is also super approachable because of its peer-to-peer approach. Senior Psychology student Hannah Arquisch has been a Peer Wellness Advocate for two years now, mentions how she felt super welcome as a freshman when she was first introduced to the duck nest: “I was immediately welcomed by friendly faces, fellow students that were educated on various strategies and resources to promote my well-being and improve my overall college experience. I’ve really appreciated interacting with my peers, whether it be decompressing the day’s events over a cup of tea or walking students to the Counseling Center.” Check out the Duck Nest website here and make sure to check out their Instagram to stay up to date.

Counseling Services
The University’s Counseling Services department offers a wide variety of programs, workshops and counseling options for all UO students. Talking about mental health can be a very hard and touchy subject for some students, so it’s reassuring to know that all counseling center therapy options are completely confidential. They also offer both individual sessions as well as group therapy sessions depending on each students’ current needs. Along with therapy options, the counseling center also offers a variety of weekly workshops and events. Each term, they offer a “Let’s (Tele)Talk” workshop, which is a completely free online service that allows students to connect with Counseling Service staff on whatever the topic is for the week. They also have offered other workshops like a mindfulness workshop, a Mental Health 101 workshop and a weekly zoom workshop, Mood, Food and You. The Counseling Center offers a crisis support line, where students can call to talk to a mental health professional even after the Counseling Center is closed. To learn more about the Counseling Center, check out their website here.

There have always been misconceptions around mental health and it can be a very personal thing. However, with the resources that the UO has to offer, you are not in it alone. Creating a supportive system, whether it’s with friends, family members or a therapist is the first step in recognizing that you have the strength it takes to successfully work on your mental health.