Kent State University Counseling and Psychological Services offers different workshops that can help with anxiety for all students.

This specific skills series, Anxiety Toolbox, focuses on different elements of anxiety and helps students understand how to identify triggers, as well as notice the difference between anxiety and stress. The sessions are held Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the spring semester.

Jennifer Knott, the outreach coordinator of these workshops at CAPS, explained how anxiety is widespread in today’s world and that attending these workshops can help students deal with it in a healthier way.

“Throughout this series, some workshops focus on the physical symptoms of anxiety, and some focus on the mental symptoms, which can show students how to address these feelings,” Knott said.

These workshops can help students, especially with trying to balance schoolwork on top of it.

“This can be a helpful way for students to learn more about what anxiety is, how it impacts the body and how they can better and more effectively address it,” Knott said.

Each session starts off with a discussion of the topic for that particular workshop then moves on to different techniques and skills, as well as engaging activities for students to participate in. The session ends with a mindfulness exercise.

“We teach some mindfulness skills including mindful breathing and grounding,” Knott said.

Students are invited to complete an evaluation form after completing the workshops.

“The feedback we have received has really been overwhelmingly positive,” Knott said.

There are multiple different sessions that each last 60 minutes at no cost. Some of these are Assertive Communication, Building Better Boundaries, Healthy Relationships, Letting Go of Perfectionism and Meditation in the Wild. A description of all the workshops is available on their website and Instagram.

All of the sessions are held virtually and sign up can be accessed on the CAPS website. Any student who is enrolled in classes can attend.

Malina Andamasaris is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].