Students were able to share their deep thoughts and feelings anonymously with others as part of The Blues Project’s tabling fair during Beat the Blues Week at CSUN.
The tabling fair attracted students with various group and individual activities to help alleviate stress. The staff handed out pamphlets, stress balls and pizza for students who completed a minimum of six tickets, handed out at each table.
A group of blindfolded students sat behind a cardboard barrier and spoke anonymously, allowing them to speak freely about whatever they wanted to.
“I’ve heard a lot of different things today that I didn’t think people would share with me but I think the anonymous thing helps because they don’t feel judged,” Evelyn Tnorol, senior psychology and sociology major said. Tnorol switched off with a partner to speak to students behind the cardboard. “It’s helping me as well to see that a lot of things are going on with other people on campus that I would never get to see if it wasn’t because of this.”
Tnorol said she hoped students would feel connected to at least one other person on campus speaking anonymously through the booth.
“Hopefully through this little booth, people feel more encouraged to talk to someone, because depression, a big component of it is being isolated.”
While the lure of free pizza was enough for some students to participate in the tabling fair, others were notified of the event and came to speak to specific organizations and clubs featured at the fair.
Ernest Gordon, junior kinesiology major, initially visited after a friend informed him of one of the sponsor organizations. However, Gordon said he thought the rest of the tabling fair was helpful for students.
“It just shows people that there’s people out there that are willing to help you through whatever pressures you’re going through in life,” he said. “I feel like a lot of people should be here right now, because we have a lot of useful information that’s here at CSUN that people can use.”
Stephanie Lerma, director of The Blues Project, said the timing of the event as part of the Beat the Blues Week was chosen because of its proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday.
“We’re going to go into Thanksgiving, and actually a lot of people begin to feel very depressed during Thanksgiving because it’s the holidays,” Lerma said. “Some people were even telling me since they’re college students, they’re not going to be able to visit their families. They’re actually staying here on campus. They were telling me how sad and depressed they’re feeling.”
Lerma said the Beat the Blues Week events are meant to give students hope, make them feel that they’re not alone and that they have the support of The Blues Project.
Beat the Blues Week will continue through Thursday, beginning with an Anxiety workshop at 11:30 a.m. at the Altadena Room, followed by a prayer workshop from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., there will be a Music Therapy event in the Altadena Room, followed by Sing Your Blues Away, a karaoke event at the Grand Salon from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Follow The Blues Project on Facebook for a full schedule of events. For more resources on mental health, view The Sundial’s Mental Health Issue here.
