You pass hundreds of university peers everyday. What you see on on the outside, doesn’t always meet with what students deal with on the inside.

Indiana University senior Lea Melton’s daily routine puts a huge weight on her shoulders. Throughout her 4 years at IU, Melton has struggled with balancing  not only being a student, but also a part-time job and internship.

Melton attends 3 classes throughout the week, 17 hours at her social work internship at The Waters of Martinsville, as well as 10 hours at the Bloomington Country Club as a server. All of this time, though, doesn’t include the numerous hours she spends on working on homework and studying for exams.

Balancing all of these responsibilities takes a toll on her mental health and she struggles with stress daily. Melton’s way of handling her ongoing issue with stress is to focus on self-care strategies. She says that taking long baths, listening to jazz music, practicing breathing and relaxation techniques, and her personal favorite, getting coffee, helps her to feel more calm and happy throughout the day.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) works with thousands of IU students yearly. CAPS counselors and staff are trained and prepared to handle mental health crisis, and to offer support to students who are looking to discuss their issues with a person they can trust.

CAPS mental health counselor Liv Mercer works with students that are dealing with similar struggles like Melton. She says that stress is one of the top three most common problems that students seek counseling for.

Mercer says that when you deal with stress, that you are susceptible to other mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression, which is why Mercer is a huge advocate for self-care. She believes that learning self-care strategies can make a positive impact in relieving stress.

According to the National College Health Assessment, only 1.6 percent of undergraduates reported that they felt no stress in the last 12 months, and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America,  indicates 85% of college students have reported that they felt overwhelmed by everything they’ve had to do at some point within the past year.

In addition to CAPS, there are other resources that students can seek instead of a physical counseling session. They also offer students numerous free workshops located at Wells Library and the IU Health Center, some can even be accessed online. Workshop topics include stress management, healthy relationships, mindfulness and more!

To learn more about CAPS and the workshops they provide, you can visit their website at www.healthcenter.indiana.edu.