Students face a variety of challenges in day-to-day life that can be hard to handle on their own.

The goal of “Racer Life Revolution: Learn, Change, Thrive” is to provide an informal group setting in which students can talk about the challenges they face in everyday life, especially in college.

The group is facilitated by counselors that provide new information to students so they can make changes to benefit their lives.

Instead of being a lecture-style meeting, it allows students to talk to other students who struggle with similar issues.

“Even though the event is sponsored by the Counseling Center, it’s not a therapy group,” said Allyson Taylor, counselor at Murray State. “It’s a way for students to get valuable information while connecting with other students and getting to express their thoughts, opinions and struggles. Yet, just like all services provided by the Counseling Center, the group’s discussions are confidential.”

Last week’s sessions focused on basic stress management skills, such as diet, sleep, exercise and time management.

The session helped students find the areas they needed to change and gave them the tools to change them.

Doing this in a group setting also helps students feel more connected, and provides opportunities for students to give other students helpful feedback, Taylor said.

“When you don’t feel alone in the challenges you face, you usually feel more hopeful about your ability to change,” Taylor said.

Each week a new set of topics is covered in two sessions. The first session is from 5-5:45 p.m., and the second session is from 6-6:45 p.m., with snacks provided between sessions.

The first session this week addressed destructive thinking.

The students looked at the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors associated with destructive thinking patterns.

Using the tools provided in the session, students learned how to cope with destructive thought patterns in more healthy ways and change them.

The second session was about relaxation skills and understanding how the body is feeling can help calm the mind.

The next session, Feb. 18, will include lessons on mindfulness and staying emotionally grounded.

Story by Brandon Cash, Staff writer