With exams fast approaching, Jack Moran gives you all the information you need to know about the highlight of the semester: Stress Less Week!

If you’re feeling the crunch of major assignments and starting to worry about those all-important exams coming up in the next few weeks then UON has the answer to all your problems. Stress Less Week starts on Monday and the week is packed full of events aimed at putting you in a relaxed frame of mind to see you through the last leg of the semester.

According to Student Central’s Fiona Mundie, Stress Less Week is designed to be a week of events and resources that help students take a step back from the intensity of study and have some fun.

“Some students are engaged a lot more seriously in study than others and stress doesn’t help you succeed,” she said, “People are able to achieve their best when they’re able to relax a bit and get a sense of perspective.”

Bubble soccer is just one of the events on during Stress Less Week. Image: Student Central.

Ms Mundie said that the activities have been selected to cater to all students. Students can choose an activity that’s physical like laser tag on Wednesday or bubble soccer all week. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something a little bit more sedate there’ll be a different movie playing every day in the Glasshouse at Bar on the Hill as well as the chance to hang out with some rescue greyhounds on Tuesday and some farm animals on Thursday.

Long time favourites, the rescue greyhounds, make a return at this year’s Stress Less Week. Image: Student Central.

There’s also workshops going on all week like yoga classes, relaxation lessons and Buddhist mediation clinics that can help you learn how to get into a better head space once those exams come round. If you’re more of a comfort eater then there’s also free lunch available every day in Oval 4 and this includes hot dogs, pizzas, soups, pastas, and barbecue. Vegetarian options are also available, of course.

A full rundown of events on campus can be found here.

One difference to previous years is that this semester’s Stress Less Week is being held a week earlier. According to Ms Mundie, this is for a very important reason. “What we’ve noticed is that in Week 13 people are just too intense,” Ms Mundie said, “So we’ve moved it to Week 12 so people can have that one extra week to put into practice all of the things they’re going to pick up during Stress Less Week.”

Student Central also found in previous years that Week 13 was just too busy for many students with either major final assessments being due or practicals starting, meaning that the events were inaccessible to some students.

Stress Less Week is all about helping students learn that while studying is important, there needs to be fun too. Ms Mundie said that some students study too hard and stress too much and don’t perform as well as they could because of it. She said that students need to find the balance between working hard and enjoying yourself while at uni.

“It’s everything in moderation, really. Always that middle path,” she said, “I think Stress Less Week helps give a little bit of perspective to people.”

Stress Less Week is on from Monday, May 23^rd to Friday, May 27^th at Callaghan campus. Ourimbah campus also has its own Stress Less Week on and information on the events they have planned can be found here.

All images supplied by Student Central.