{"id":5070,"date":"2021-12-01T13:08:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T18:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/?p=5070"},"modified":"2021-12-23T11:49:37","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T16:49:37","slug":"the-final-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/2021\/12\/01\/the-final-stretch\/","title":{"rendered":"The Final Stretch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/uri-inside-rec-blog\/episodes\/The-Final-Stretch-e1c3g4c\"><em>Listen to a reading of The Final Stretch Blog<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we all return to campus after the Thanksgiving break, it is hard to not become overwhelmed by the road ahead. With finals season right around the corner, this time of the academic year can be incredibly stressful for all students.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To be completely honest, this semester was really hard for me, and I am sure some of you are feeling the same way. From not only transitioning back to in-person classes and commuting to campus for the first time, but also re-starting extracurricular activities I was involved in prior to the pandemic, it was extremely difficult to manage my time well. While I love that my life is returning to normal, I have to admit to myself that it is okay to struggle a little bit. It is important to&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are some ways that I will be tackling the final stretch of this semester!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2><b>Stick to Your Normal Routine<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I am the type of person that needs structure and routine in my life in order to stay on track. However, when my workload gets more intense, I tend to fall out of my normal patterns. Sticking to a somewhat normal routine can make it seem like any other week, and help decrease stress.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3734 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/IMG_4446-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Vegetables on counter\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\">Plan ahead to keep your daily routine the same. Try going to sleep around when you normally do, or at least at a somewhat early time. Make sure you are eating your regular meals, and stay hydrated. If you like to workout daily, make time to get to the gym or do an at-home workout.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&nbsp;Allot time for all of your work and studying, and any extra-curricular activities you might have coming up. I like to write down all of my deadlines and plans for the week in a calendar to keep track of everything I need to get done.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Take Breaks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Finals make it seem like your whole life consists of class, studying, schoolwork, and exams. I am here to tell you &#8211; the world will not end if you need to take a nap during the day. It is so important to take time for yourself, and do things that you enjoy and help you relax. Go to dinner with friends, watch a movie, scroll through some TikToks (and be sure to check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@uricampusrec?lang=en\">@uricampusrec<\/a>&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">while you\u2019re at it!), or do anything that makes you happy and takes your mind off of school for a while.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5073 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/IMG_7797-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Beach Sunset\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\">Something that always helps me destress is going for a daily walk. I try to incorporate this into my day at some capacity, whether it be 30 minutes, an hour, or even just a quick walk around the block. Taking this time for myself each day improves my overall mood, making me more motivated to get my work done.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<h2><b>Accept Your Flaws<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do I even really need to say it? <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We are all human, we cannot be perfect all the time<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It\u2019s okay if you\u2019re running late to class, taking a little extra time on an assignment, or struggling with a topic you are studying for. Try your best, but if you don\u2019t meet all of your expectations this finals season, it\u2019s going to be okay.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a graduating senior, I can tell you that I\u2019ve messed up more times than I\u2019d like to admit. I can assure you that there have been assignments that I completely forgot, and beat myself up over turning it in late. But guess what? In the grand scheme of things, it did not really matter all that much. I survived, and I still passed all of my classes. Don\u2019t be so hard on yourself, being a college student is really difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This semester was obviously a challenge. For me, being a full-time student, a supervisor for the marketing team at Campus Recreation, and an active member of the Greek Life community, I seriously struggled keeping myself afloat. Add final projects and exams on top of that, and I could easily explode from stress. But just as I am advising all of you, I am making my mental state a priority and taking the time to keep myself happy.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/campusrec\/stay-active-stay-well-stay-connected\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5081 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/stress-less-image-for-web-homepage-12.2021-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/stress-less-image-for-web-homepage-12.2021-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/stress-less-image-for-web-homepage-12.2021-364x242.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/stress-less-image-for-web-homepage-12.2021.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Campus Rec is here for us &#8211; with the <a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/campusrec\/stay-active-stay-well-stay-connected\/\">Stress-Less website<\/a> created to help keep our stress in check.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The most important thing to remember in these last few weeks is to take care of yourself and try not to get overwhelmed by the tasks ahead. Don\u2019t sacrifice your mental health and wellbeing for a good grade. If you\u2019re already stressed, take a step back and realize that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you will make it through this finals season<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Good luck with all of the hard work ahead, and keep pushing through!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-4917 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1178\/IMG_6307-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Emma\" width=\"272\" height=\"379\"><em>Hi! My name is Emma, and I am a senior Communications Studies and Writing and Rhetoric student here at URI. I am from Long Beach Township, New Jersey, where I am an ocean lifeguard during the summer. Outside of class and work, I am a member of Greek Life, and enjoy spending time with friends and family. This is my second semester being a part of the marketing team for Campus Recreation, where I am given the opportunity to combine my passions of creative writing and health and well-being. I am so excited to continue sharing my life and experiences as a URI student! <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to a reading of The Final Stretch Blog As we all return to campus after the Thanksgiving break, it is hard to not become overwhelmed by the road ahead. With finals season right around the corner, this time of the academic year can be incredibly stressful for all students.&nbsp; To be completely honest, this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4096,"featured_media":5077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2021"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4096"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5070"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5096,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5070\/revisions\/5096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}