Pushing yourself too hard can be counter-productive, says Donna Liu. That’s why the second-year health and biomedical sciences major took advantage of an opportunity to relax during Biology Student Appreciation Day, Monday in the Biology Building.

“We are really stressed right now,” she said as she munched on a cookie. “I thought it would be nice to have some downtime.”

Liu was one of dozens of biology students who dropped by the second-floor learning centre to partake of some free snacks and socializing.

It was a first for biology and represented a chance to show students they are central to the institution, said department head Dennis Higgs.

“I see how stressed they are this time of year,” he said. “We wanted to encourage them to take a moment, take a breath before they start final exams.”

He thanked technician Candy Donaldson and master’s student Alyssa Frazao for organizing the event, which featured coffee and cocoa, pizza and sandwiches, fruit and baked goods, as well as sessions of relaxing “chair” yoga.

Liu’s friend Gisele Gagnon shared some comical animal videos on her laptop and said she was happy for the change of pace.

“We’re always studying. This is giving us an excuse to take it easy,” she said. “It feels like they’re looking out for us, knowing that we’re stressing out at the end of the semester.”