About | zebraproject

About the zebra project:

remember that symptoms of stress and mental illness often go hand in hand. we can't offer medical help and our advice isn't a substitute for therapy or medication, but good habits are good habits for everyone. hopefully we can offer something you can use in your continued recovery.

My high school psychology teacher --Coach Green, an eccentric goatee-ed man-- once explained stress (and the concept of anticipation) to me like this: "Zebras don't think about running from Lions until they're being chased. They don't stress over life and death before it comes into question. They run like Hell when they need to, and that's that." Humans are one of the rare species that over-anticipates bad things, which ruins our present. --Krista

Mission Statement

Stress is a natural part of life and no one can ignore it. No one should try. Learning to deal with it properly is an imperative. Stress can be beneficial –we have fight or flight responses for a reason—but if not kept in check, it can cause permanent damage to the mind and body; affecting sleep, aging, immune responses, and heart health.

We intend to define the kinds of stress and teach fellow students how to manage their stress and keep control over their own lives. We will teach students to recognize coping mechanisms –good or bad—and offer them the chance to change their own behavior. We cannot guarantee that our advice will be implemented, but offering knowledge freely is the best way to plant the seed that might help someone. Oftentimes students on our campus –through their own power or not—aren’t comfortable enough or able to seek professional help, so our group exists as an active alternative solution to a problem our peers may not know they face. Enough stress on an entire generation will affect the future that that generation is meant to mold. This is a conversation we have to have now, while we are all still young enough to make change. However, self-improvement is a largely personal experience and the most effective way we can make change is by offering peer-to-peer knowledge and making helpful information easy to access.

Meet Your Fellow Zebras

Krista Meads

Sophmore. Digital Arts major. Comp Sci minor. Personally, my coping is neurotic.

Rose Herring

I'm a sophomore and a Biology major. I think stress is important but I also think the handling it appropriately is equally important.

Ashley Fish

I'm a sophomore who is undecided on her major. This alone causes me a lot of stress, but I believe that having a good support system is one of the best ways to cope with stress.