Unwinding From Stress at Wind Down Wednesdays

Image credit: Jack Hogan for The Campus Trainer

A pleasant aroma filled the air in the pleasantly silent Stamp Graduate Student Lounge as Karrin Thompson, a graduate assistant for University of Maryland’s Graduate Student Life, and GSL Coordinator Sarah Grun, hosted an aromatherapy workshop on March 27 as part of Wind Down Wednesdays – monthly events focused on promoting self-care and relaxation for UMD graduate students.

Participating students used essential oils to make tassel keychains, face scrubs and small molds from instructions that Thompson and Grun provided.

The aromatherapy workshop was the first Wind Down Wednesdays event for Deepika Yetav, a graduate student studying business.

“It’s really relaxing,” said Yetav. “We are always in Van Munching Hall, so it’s good to come out from there and do something that’s going to help me relax later on too.”

Natasha Pineiros, a graduate student studying student affairs, shared a similar sentiment.

“I think just the atmosphere of smelling all the essential oils and the music is making me not think about work,” said Pineiros. “I needed a break.”

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, aromatherapy is when natural oils from plants like flowers, herbs or trees – known as essential oils – are used to promote physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Essential oils are typically inhaled or applied directly to the skin. A previous Wind Down Wednesdays event featured lemon, lavender, orange and tea tree essential oils, among others.

“We thought it would be a good thing to introduce to graduate students so they can learn about different things they can do to help with their stress from their school work and other work they have to do,” said Thompson.

This is the first semester that GSL is running Wind Down Wednesdays. The first event was a workshop on Bullet Journals, a method for focusing on “intentional living,” according to the Bullet Journal website.

According to Thompson, Wind Down Wednesdays were inspired by Craft Nights, which GSL has organized monthly for two years. Students at Craft Nights have painted birdhouses, decorated wind chimes, painted with watercolors and more.

Thompson said that she wants to incorporate meditation in future Wind Down Wednesdays. There will be two more events this semester; the next one is on Wednesday, April 17, and will feature watercolor painting, according to Grun.