Stressed out? Need help? Whether you're looking for tips to manage end-of-the-semester pressure or for help figuring out if you have an anxiety disorder, you've come to the right place. Don't forget to also check out your campus resources. You can start by searching your college website for your student counseling or health center.

National Stress Øut Day provides pre-finals stress relief to college students while educating them about anxiety disorders, one of the most common mental health problems on college campuses. Forty million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them experience their first episode by age 22.

National Stress Øut Day 2009 will be held during the week of April 13-17; each participating college campus can choose which day that week works best. Check out the 2009 participating schools.

What National Stress Øut Day is all about
On National Stress Øut Day, students organize campus-wide activities that aim to relieve pre-finals stress, remind students to take care of themselves mentally and physically and reduce the stigma around mental health disorders, which can prevent some students from seeking treatment.

Students are encouraged to ask their campus counseling and health centers to co-sponsor or help organize events.

National Stress Øut Day is sponsored by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and Active Minds, with support from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Participating colleges receive educational materials and resources from each organization.

How to get involved
Find out if your college campus has an Active Minds chapter. If not, start your own chapter to participate in National Stress Øut Day, increase awareness of mental health issues on your campus, and encourage fellow students to seek help as soon as it is needed.

Active Minds members can get all the information and resources they need to run National Stress Øut Day by visiting www.activeminds.org. Don’t forget to sign in as an active chapter so that you have access to everything you need. Join the chapter discussion forum to brainstorm ideas with students from across the country for National Stress Øut Day.