De-stress Fest After Dark offered UW Oshkosh students the opportunity to step back from their studies and let off some steam.

The free event was held last Friday night in Reeve Memorial Union and was co-sponsored by the Student Health Center and the United Students in Residence Halls.

UWO Health Promotion Coordinator Juliana Kahrs said this event was centered around combatting the stress students face from school work.

“Stress can lead to a variety of acute and chronic health issues, as well as decreased productivity, concentration and work quality,” Kahrs said. “The purpose of this event was to provide a variety of healthy stress-relieving activities, to educate on stress management and to hopefully provide a few stress management strategies or ideas for students to take with them when they leave.”

Kahrs said students should take advantage of the event because it gives them a moment to stop and just enjoy life.

“Sometimes we get so focused on the outcome of our endeavors that we forget to enjoy the journey,” Kahrs said. “That’s what I love about this event though; it’s not about the outcome, it’s about the process.”

Kahrs said the Destress Fest is an easy way for students to find a way to release their pre-exam stress.

“No matter your life circumstances, college is stressful, and it’s worth it to find healthy activities that help you experience a sense of inner peace, if only for a short time before your next set of exams,” Kahrs said. “It also doesn’t hurt that events like this are free and conveniently located right here on campus.”

Activities for students included bingo, stress trivia, various crafting activities, a photo booth and Compassionate Canines.

UWO senior Luis Rodriguez said the event was just what he needed before heading into finals.

“This event was really cool because they offered so many different activities,” Rodriguez said. “I got to decorate some mugs and play some bingo.”

Rodriguez said he appreciates having the opportunity to step away from studying and relax.

“It really gets stressful for us students around this time of the year,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes it’s hard to break yourself of that mind set and take a break from the books. This event helped remind me to take better care of myself.”

UWO junior Dani Shelley said her favorite part was being able to interact with the dogs.

“It was amazing having dogs at this event,” Shelley said. “This time of the year really takes a toll on your mood and mental health, and these dogs were the perfect cure to bring me out of that.”

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Kahrs said her favorite part of the event was the creativity the students who helped organized the event showed.

“We ran out of canvases to paint about halfway through the event, but we still had paint,” Kahrs said. “So people were painting all kinds of things including their mugs, coloring pages, plates, other miscellaneous crafts, and I even found a pizza crust someone had painted. It was fun to see how creative our students are.”