While Baruch College has been hosting events and emailing tips relating to mental and physical health, primarily through the Office of Health and Wellness, it has seemingly missed Stress Awareness Month, which is April.

April has been designated as Stress Awareness Month since 1992, according to the American Institute of Stress. The month strives to bring attention to stress, things that cause it and what can be done to alleviate it.

This school year, Baruch has not made any mention of the month, it seems.

It is understandable that there is a lot going on for the school to address, but it seems that promoting better ways to cope with stress should have been somewhere on that list.

As a college, its halls see stress every day. Students stress about exams, projects, quizzes, assignments, homework, applications, jobs, internships and more daily both while they are in and out of school.

School itself is one of the main stressors in a college student’s life since it often comes with a demanding course load, intensive classes and busy schedules.

In recognition of that, it would have been good for Baruch to address Stress Awareness Month andacknowledge the stress that it, at times, puts its students under.

The Office of Health and Wellness sends out weekly emails with advice for students regarding their health called “Wellness Wednesday Tips.”

In the past month, one Wellness Wednesday email talked about fainting and how people can recognize the signs and deal with them accordingly. Another email discussed sexual assault since April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

It seems that the Office of Health and Wellness could have easily sent an email like that about dealing with and managing stress. One would think that college students deal with stress more than they deal with fainting.

In any case, though, Baruch can at least try to address Stress Awareness Month next school year.

Some tips for physically reducing stress include eating a well-balanced diet, doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days per week and having a healthy sleep schedule. These three tips can strengthen one’s body and, in turn, one’s mind, which will reduce stress before it happens.

Some other stress managing tips are to write out one’s thoughts onto paper so one no longer has to hold onto them in their head, to try to hold off on doing things that aren’t necessary in that moment so one can focus on the immediate things and to relax using meditation and deep breathing, according to BioIQ.

One can also talk about their feelings with friends, family members or a therapist, make time for hobbies and things that one enjoys and, lastly, make sure to smile and laugh to bring one’s mood up.

Hopefully, next year Baruch will address Stress Awareness Month in one way or another, possibly by promoting stress management tips like the ones above.