CREDIT: OLA AKINSARA
A wall in Forwell Hall will be covered in yellow Post-Its as part of College Student Alliance's Yellow Umbrella Project on October 21.

The Fanshawe Student Union is stressing the importance of mental health and wellness on the days of October 21 to 24.

There will be a series of events during that time, which the FSU calls Mental Health & Awareness Days that are aimed to help students de-stress during a busy academic time.

Cheriss Marson vice president of Internal Affairs says the FSU chose these dates because a lot happens after Thanksgiving weekend.

“[There are] a lot of contributing factors why some students are more at risk [of becoming stressed] during this time,” she said.

“There tends to be a lot of breakups; they miss their family; they’re at school and when they go back home they miss everything they had.”

“When they come back [after Thanksgiving] it’s during exam period, which can be really stressful.”

Maintaining mental health is an issue the FSU finds important because of pressure put on by today’s society.

“There’s definitely more pressure,” said Marson. “You see job requirements need higher education. With that higher education, there’s more pressure.”

Marson says the FSU hopes to reduce the stigma against mental health and show the student body that the Student Union is here to help.

“We’re there [to] show them different services we have on campus,” she said. “There are a ton of resources out there for students … we just want students to use them the best they can.”

“We can show them the ways they can help cope and recognize that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.”

During Mental Health & Wellenss Awareness Days, there will be vendors set up in Forwell and in front of the Oasis respectively.

“[For the Wellness Fair] on the Thursday … we have different vendors coming in,” she said. “Yoga [and] hot stone massages for students, just making students happier during exam time.”

As a varsity athlete and busy student, Marson tries her best to stay ahead of the game.

“Just being organized and aware of how much time I have,” she said. “Realizing that I give a [certain] amount of hours a day in class, I give an amount [when] I have practice and I give an amount of hours towards the FSU.”

“[I understand] that those hours are automatically going towards those different things,” she said. “I need to stay on top of things and I find that I get a lot more stressed out if I’m not as organized as I can be, so planning ahead and planning each day hour by hour helps me.”

Marson says the Wellness Fair is something all students should check out.

“It’s great to come, relax and be aware of the resources that Fanshawe has to offer,” she said. “It allows [students] to see everything and see the different options we have without having to commit to anything.”

A wall in Forwell Hall will be covered in Post-Its as part of the Yellow Umbrella Project kicking off the Awareness Days. The Wellness Fair will be in Forwell Hall on October 23.