De-Stress the Mind: Self-Care Night

With finals coming up, Marist University’s Psychology Club hosted a Self-Care Night on April 19 in Dyson 1008 to help students destress and take their minds off their work for a period of time.

“We’re hosting this event because we really want to support psychology students, and students at Marist as a whole,” said Psychology Club president Brianna Foley ‘28.“It’s one of the most stress-inducing parts of the entire year for everybody.”

“We just wanted to have this event… provide someone dinner for the night and take that stress off of them,” Foley continued. The simple goal did more than just fill stomachs – it gave students a space to relax and have a bit of fun. 

“As you know, finals are a stressful time, and it’s great to get everyone together,” said webmaster Ethan Orchanian ‘27.  “It’s great to get everyone together, have the community just relax and unwind, and be able to have some time for themselves during this busy season.”

The Self-Care Night had become an annual tradition four years ago, and was a staple for Vice President Amanda Schimenti ‘26. 

“It’s an event that I came to as a freshman, and having a night off from cooking [was nice],” she said.

The turnout for the event was fairly high, with groups of students arriving ten minutes after the doors opened. This attendance tends to be normal, according to Foley. “Everyone sees that we’re promoting self-care, and we’re having fun activities and food, and they can hang out with their friends and de-stress for a little bit.”

At the bottom of the lecture hall were two tables lined with coloring pages, pizza, desserts, and a basket of free fidget toys. Students of all majors lined up to grab one or two slices before taking a seat around the hall and talking to their friends.

“We provided some artistic materials for people to draw, because I feel like that’s been backed up. In psychological research, it’s one of the most de-stressing activities one could do,” said Foley.  “And then we also provided fidget toys, which are also really good for just relaxing and trying to get your mind off something.”

Along with the Self-Care Night, the Marist Psychology Club hosts more events to raise awareness not just about the subject, but also the benefits that students can understand through fun activities.

“Next semester, we usually do a student-faculty social, which is really important to break out–especially for freshmen–to get to know some of the professors within the psychology discipline, and just to let them know what kind of classes they could take in the future,” said Foley. 

Other future events may include faculty talks and a screening of an art therapy movie with a conversation afterward with the director. The Self-Care Night is just a step to build the Marist community.