UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — College students often find themselves to be overly stressed or overwhelmed by the abundance of tasks on their plates — this can include academia, jobs and lifestyle changes, as well as other factors. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), a unit of Student Affairs, works to help students overcome these struggles.
CAPS offers "Life Hacks" sessions for Penn State students, focused around self-care and improving the quality of life. Life Hacks are held in the Student Health Center and are open to all students at the University.
Life Hacks are weekly, free, drop-in gatherings focused on skills that can help create a foundation for wellness. Available to all enrolled Penn State students, each Life Hacks session is led by a CAPS provider. The goal is for students to leave a Life Hacks session with specific tools and strategies they can apply to their daily lives. Examples of specific topics include adapting to change, practicing self-compassion, mindfulness, stress management, and healthy relationships.
Fall 2019 Life Hacks are held from 4 to 5 p.m. biweekly on Mondays, and weekly on Tuesdays, in 540 Student Health Center, University Park.
Stephanie Stama, a CAPS staff psychologist, hopes that these sessions will help students develop strategies for dealing with stress and issues affecting their academic and personal lives at Penn State.
“Life Hacks with CAPS are a great resource because this is a reliable option to quickly access coping strategies that can be immediately put into action and help someone feel better. In fact, these are the same interventions students could expect to encounter in a therapy session,” Stama said.
To learn more about Life Hacks or to view the schedule of sessions, visit https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/wellness-services/life-hacks.