Students feeling overwhelmed by preparations for finals have a place to get away this week.

Today through Thursday, Health Enhancement will host a “stress-free zone” at different residence halls on campus.

Alicia Czachowski, assistant director of Health Enhancement, said there will be a variety of activities each day, including massage therapy, therapy dogs, coloring, Play-Doh and relaxation DVDs. Water and snacks will be provided.

“When people are stressed, they eat unhealthy, so we’ll have healthy food,” Czachowski said.

Czachowski said the program was inspired by programs at peer institutions.

“We know that stress is a big issue and we wanted to do something new,” Czachowski said. “Other colleges have done this and it was successful.”

This is the first year Health Enhancement is hosting the zone and anyone is invited to come.

“We didn’t want to have it during finals week so we figured [we would have it] the week before,” Czachowski said. “Students may need some time to relax before they go back to their schoolwork.”

Stacey Miller, senior nursing major, said it is helpful for students not to procrastinate, especially during finals week.

“If you get things done now, you can have fun later,” Miller said.

Brett Miller, senior journalism major, said he takes things one step at a time when it comes to end-of-the-semester schoolwork.

“When I have a lot of stuff, I break it down step by step,” Brett said. “It relieves the stress.”