If you are like me and desire the sweet salvation of academic validation – despite the procrastination that deepens with the passage of the semester and the creeping sloth that comes with it, here is your reminder to take care of yourself. In my case, this apex of academic un-motivation reached me with the passage of Halloween, a favorite holiday of mine. In the thick of celebrating, I still had to keep my blog schedule in mind when working on midterms and figuring out my array of costumes. This goes to show that, even when you are preparing for an important exam, life will still come at you quickly, and you must power through it. While it is good to put as much energy as you can muster into your schoolwork, this period in life is fleeting; and just because you have responsibilities does not mean those responsibilities should be all that you focus on. Managing your time during the semester, while being mindful about how you spend your excess time is a key combination when it comes to achieving balance in your schedule and peace in your mind. The many ways that one can listen to their own mind is central to all of my tips, and it is my highest recommendation of anything written below.

1. Blend Self-Care with School Work

Whether this blend of self-care involves a study session with a group of close friends, doing a face mask while completing an assignment, or running your flashcards while running on the treadmill, mixing pleasure and pain can make the tedious dredge of your assignments go down easier. Study sessions with your pals is a method that can result in getting more work done in a given period, if studying wisely. However, less can be said for how much you retain by chatting as you read, type, calculate, or think. For this reason, I do most of my actual studying on my own. But when writing an essay, I’ll let myself collect information and quotes to prove my thesis while I sit in my living room with the roomies. And when it comes down to connecting my evidence to the point I am making or getting to the “meat” of the essay, I’ll prefer to do that solo. The point being that you should work with your academic skills and setbacks in order to get around them. 

2.Take Time for Yourself– And Use It With Intention

There is something to be said for resting your mind, and the same goes for using that period of rest constructively. Now, I adore a midday nap when I need one, but I couldn’t sleep during all of my free time, and I’m sure you couldn’t either! So you might as well do something good for your mind, while taking the necessary time to bum around the house. There are some activities that just soothe you, as well as stimulate your brain. When I get really into certain shows on television or Netflix, they usually have some thought-provoking element to them. That’s why I find myself watching them very actively, even at a state of zen comfort. The Scrabble App is another stimulating pastime that comes to mind. Exercising mindfulness activities, such as meditation or journaling, has been a massive aid to me when it comes to “getting back to reality,” prioritizing assignments and additional life-tasks when my period of sloth comes to a decline. 

3. Identify Sources of Negativity

Take notice of the activities that cause your anxiety to spike, and use that awareness to help guide you. If it’s something that is avoidable, like th

e bottom floor of the library that prevents you from producing good work, make an effort to walk up those stairs and do your work on one of the higher, quieter floors. If it’s a person or group of people that you find draining, it’s time to step away from those people. If you notice that it’s a specific set of assignments in a given class, take time to meet with your professor about it, or set aside some time to either prep or study for the next assignment in advance. Tempering your bad thoughts and sources of stress is easier done when you are mindful of the scenarios that bring them to the forefront of your consciousness. Take note of the events that culminate just before you feel the anxiety pang, rather than what you might immediately and consciously attribute that anxiety to. 

4. Don’t Deprive Yourself of Memory-Making Experiences

You will want memories and photos of you and your friends from your time at URI. You can go out and be socially active while still doing well in school! So make time to go out with your friends, whether it be to a party, a day at the beach, or out to dinner. Don’t pass up experiences. One day, you will remember the good times more than the stress and exhaustion of studying, and you’ll still have the diploma to prove that you grit through the whole damn thing. 

And sometimes you may be too exhausted to even consider seeing anyone, and you simply must give into your introversion. That is completely fine and goes back to the theme of listening to your mind. Take into account your schedule, sleep, and level of energy to determine whatever your desire beckons to. A happy medium between alone time and enrichment time is conducive to feeling mentally rested. In my experience, we are social animals and should spend more time being social than we do being lab rats, running on an endless course of paperwork with no breaks in between. 

Being aware in your own head is a theme of this blog, and I hope it resonates with readers and listeners. I encourage you to take note of the events that lead up to anxious periods so you can better work through those periods. But don’t hyperfocus on the anxiety to the point that avoiding it becomes your raison d’etre. This is why periodically “clearing things out” up there, through meditation or puzzles, or spending time with friends, is a healthy routine element that gives you a little restart. It makes the avoidance of stress a little more effortless. That’s all I have for you this time, guys. Have a happy Thanksgiving, and get some Rhody rest in the meantime 🙂

 

Bio: My name is Samantha Melia and I am a junior, double-majoring in journalism and political science. I am also working toward a minor in philosophy! I write in my free-time and I have always loved to do so, whether it is completely creative writing, stories, or more academic essays. Some of my poetry can be found on my instagram account @poetryslamsam, here I showcase some of my favorite pieces from a portfolio that I began compiling during my sophomore year of highschool, and still add to regularly to this day. I am also an avid hiker who most easily finds peace of mind deep in the woods far away from other people. Over the pandemic I developed a special interest in mycology, the study of mushrooms, which is funny because I do not consider myself scientifically-minded by a mile. Pictures of the mushrooms and fungi I’ve found on my hikes can be seen on another secondary Instagram account I have, aptly dubbed @urifungylady (fungi is purposely spelled incorrectly to cue to the fact that I am, in fact, a funky lady). Eventually, I’d like to use my education for a good purpose, and do some form of advocacy journalism internationally. The world is increasingly uncertain, and many other people think there isn’t much that can be done to make it a better place. I am no authority on whether or not those people’s assertions about the state of the world are incorrect, but I think the job of a journalist is incredibly important, and that truth brings light. If it doesn’t make the world a better place, it can at least help us to see a little clearer.