Incoming University of Oregon students will encounter a lot during their first few weeks here. New responsibilities, new people and a new environment can leave new Ducks overwhelmed and feeling like there aren’t as many resources and support as they may have once had.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 40 million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them reported experiencing their first episode at 22.
More and more, universities are incorporating programs to help students deal with anxiety and other mental disorders that may prevent them from being a successful student.
Students who might face anxiety and other mental health illnesses have options when coming to UO, but it can be hard to know where to start. Here are a few resources to look into.

1. UO’s Duck Nest: Offering everything from aromatherapy to mental well-being workshops, the Duck Nest offers students a place to stop between classes, attend the free workshops and start healthy habits. In addition to a stress and anxiety management workshop, the Duck Nest also offers yoga and meditation. The Duck Nest also offers Peer Wellness Advocates who can help you navigate the mental and physical health resources on campus.
2. UO’s Counseling Center: The counseling center has phone consultations and other services that can help students, along with crisis support and response, brief in-person assessments and group therapy sessions. Students can receive free short term individual therapy sessions at the counseling center. The facility’s fall term hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday. Their drop-in hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday. They also have an after hours crisis and support hotline for students to speak with a therapist at 541-346-3227.

Students may not have time to visit the Duck Nest or the Counseling Center, but here are a few other tips to conquer anxiety. While these aren’t cure-alls, they are ways to reduce the stress and can lead to a healthier, more balanced lifestyle while at college.

1. Make a plan: Through a schedule, a planner or a computer calendar, make a plan and stick to it. Plan out time to complete class work, but also make time for self-care and relaxation. This helps to conquer the day-to-day stressors and creates a structure to your week.
2. Exercise: Most people would scoff and say, “I have literally no time to exercise!”, but that’s not true. According to the ADAA, psychologists studying exercise in relation to anxiety and depression suggest that a 10-minute walk may be “just as good as a 45-minute workout.” Walk with a friend or your dog or, if lacking self-motivation, take a class through the UO Rec Center, which offers everything from scuba diving to meditation.
3. Arts and crafts: Located in the EMU’s lower level, UO offers a craft center that has everything from acrylic painting to beginning flameworking. So if you’re in your dorm and your dorm mate isn’t the biggest fan of the smell of paint, check out the craft center’s workshops. Bring a friend and make something cool.
4. Try to get some sleep: It sounds nearly impossible for anyone who has suffered from anxiety and lays awake at night thinking about the smallest problems and letting their mind run away with them, but according to the ADAA, sleep disorders and anxiety go hand-in-hand. Anxiety can cause sleep disorders, and sleep disorders can cause anxiety. What’s important is getting those seven to nine hours of sleep and establishing a regular bedtime — and sticking to that bedtime. It can be hard to do, but setting a bedtime routine can help.

None of these things will ever replace a good therapist or regular medication, but having a few tricks up your sleeve can help both students both new and old to the UO survive some stressful situations.