The semester is almost over, exams are in progress and "Club West" is now in session. Students are getting juiced up and strung out on coffee, cigarettes and amphetamines as they pull all-nighters and cram for exams.
Gator Health and Safety and the Student Government Senate teamed up to host the first-ever Stress and Mental Health Day on Tuesday at the Plaza of the Americas.
The event, which provided free yoga classes by Sanctuary Yoga and Meditation, food from The Gelato Company and massages from the Florida School of Massage, offered an opportunity for students to learn about mental health and wellness resources on campus.
"I saw the massage and it was calling my name," Chelsea Gober, a psychology major, said.
Gober was one of the many students who received a free massage from masseuse Bob Lee.
Lee said that massages are a great form of relaxation. They help reduce stress, increase circulation, boost immune systems, give a greater sense of well-being and they help with recovery from injuries.
"We're all a part of The Gator Nation and we're here to help students," Katherine Getty, student senate pro tempore, said. "So many students have left because they didn't know of the resources available to them."
About 40 million, or 18 percent of, American adults ages 18 and older have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
UF's Counseling and Wellness Center, one of the largest comprehensive counseling centers in the country, provides a number of services, which range from traditional to innovative, said Shari Robinson, assistant director at the center.
Robinson said that based on years past, usually about 58 percent of students seek help because of anxiety and stress related issues.
The peak influx of students usually occurs in a cyclical pattern in the fall and spring semesters. There tends to be the largest number of students in October and February, followed by a steady stream of students until it slows down during exams, she said.
Some of the innovative services at the center include a state of the art rehabilitation massage chair and a biofeedback room.
The biofeedback room takes you through self-guided, 20-minute meditations, measuring your heart rate and perspiration.
Robinson said that through a game-like presentation, "it shows you that there's a direct mind-body connection."
The bottom line at the Counseling and Wellness Center is to support the retention of students academically.
Robinson said that anxiety doesn't start with an increased workload, but rather it "ends there."
She said students often find it easier to say that stress and anxiety are due to their course load. However, the center provides services in order to help identify the root causes of student anxiety.
"We're here to peel away the layers of that onion."
