Applicability of the SIM® method for university students and the community: self-care techniques for managing stress and anxiety

Abstract

Introduction: Brazil is considered one of the countries with the highest number of anxious people in the world. After the pandemic, this rate increased in a worrying way, putting pressure on leaders to invest in self-care techniques. Stress in the university environment motivated the creation of the extension project “Calm in the crisis for students and the community”. Objective: To report the experience of the project with students from the State University of Ponta Grossa and the local community. Methods: Relaxation techniques were taught, according to the Integral Mind-Body Health methodology, developed by the Instituto Visão Futuro, for university students to apply for themselves and share with the community. Results: In 2023, two groups of university students were trained and the communities served were Recanto Maria Dolores and Centro Pop. The main result was the students' understanding of the direct relationship between self-care and altruism in stress management, the importance of group work to strengthen bonds and the creation of a safe space to perpetuate good practices in mental health care. Conclusion: The project team and coordinators were satisfied with the results. The challenge of alleviating stress in the community, promoting joint benefits for UEPG students, was achieved. In 2024, we seek to expand to other courses, increasing participation and promoting a greater impact on the quality of life of the community inside and outside the university.