On December 19th and 20th 2022, JICE hosted “Stress Management & Relaxation Seminar” for JDS fellows and international students from various schemes that JICE International Student Programs Department I supports.

The spread of COVID-19 has made people more susceptible to stress and anxiety. Living in such uncertainties, stress management skills are becoming increasingly important for the JDS fellows and international students, especially when they are away from their home country and studying under pressure.

This seminar was held for the purpose to provide the basic knowledge on stress mechanisms and to practice the methods to relieve stress and how to relax in daily life.

In this seminar, hosted by JICE as the second time, Certified Clinical Psychologist, Ms. WATANABE Mariko lectured on the mechanisms that cause stress and how to cope with it, while practicing stretching and breathing exercises.

Within the two days session, about 170 fellows and students participated in total. Some participants mentioned, “This lecture systematically provided us how to accept and deal with stress”. Others added, “I also learned how to communicate with Japanese people and professors smoothly, which was a common cause of stress among international students.”

JICE will continue to support them to achieve their goals and be able to spend fruitful life in Japan even during the time of “living with the virus.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FUKUSHIMA Akari

International Student Programs Division, International Student Programs Department Ⅰ