{"id":7137,"date":"2022-04-11T09:48:15","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T13:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=7137"},"modified":"2025-06-27T16:18:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T20:18:12","slug":"spring-cleaning-mental-inventory-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2022\/04\/11\/spring-cleaning-mental-inventory-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Cleaning: Mental Inventory Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Spring semester is not only longer than fall semester, but can seem drearier. Students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle begin spring semester in the cold and snowy climate and then slowly transition into spring. This gloomy weather combined with heavy workloads can be stressful to students. Managing this stress can seem impossible. But mental check-ins can be more important during this time than any other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Check in with yourself!<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cynthia Luce, a licensed clinical social worker, is a psychotherapist and provides counseling and therapy in Maine. Luce believes that accessing your needs is an important element of self-care. \u201cIf we don\u2019t pay attention to what we need physically and emotionally,\u201d she said, \u201cwe are ill-equipped to function at our best capacity.\u201d Luce explained that people are taught from a young age to be kind to others. \u201cBut there might be times when we focus on the needs of others at the expense of our own needs,\u201d she said. \u201cWe may have learned in our family or origin that taking care of others\u2019 needs before our own is a way to get positive attention or prevent disharmony.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Focusing on the needs of others becomes a problem when people begin ignoring their own needs. \u201cWe can become depleted of energy and wonder why no one has been attending to us like we attend to them,\u201d Luce said. \u201cWe cannot expect people to read our minds or assume that they should know what we need unless we let them know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jack Bisson lives with his girlfriend Abi Davis. Davis, a senior in her last semester at UMPI, has been feeling the pressure of finals looming in the distance. \u201cAbi\u2019s stress shows,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like she\u2019s stressed about the work as much as she is by graduation. She\u2019s going to be moving onto something new and I think not knowing what exactly is stressing her out.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Bisson said he thinks that Davis needs to take a step back and look at how far she has come. \u201cAs someone who has already finished school,\u201d he said, \u201cI tell her to try and recognize all the great things she has already done. When Abi\u2019s stressed, I try to help by giving her space to get done what she needs to get done because I know that\u2019s what is stressing her out.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When people feel stressed out, it is important for them to access their feelings. This is an important component in identifying our needs.\u00a0 \u201cThe first thing you might try is to just notice your feelings as they happen,\u201d Luce said. \u201cWhen you do notice a feeling, say the name of the feeling to yourself.\u201d When practicing this, it might be helpful to look up a list of feelings. \u201cThere are so many more than happy, sad, glad or mad,\u201d she said. \u201cPerhaps you\u2019re feeling disappointed, relaxed, envious, discouraged, excited or nervous.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Luce believes that no feelings are bad feelings. \u201cTry not to judge any of your feelings,\u201d she said. \u201cFeelings just are. Feelings change\u2014they come and go.\u201d She challenges people to choose a feeling and track how often they feel it, encouraging people to write about that feeling to teach themselves something about themselves and their needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With finals in the near future, it is important to focus on one thing at a time. \u201cIt makes sense that a student would become overwhelmed thinking about EVERYTHING that is due!\u201d Luce said. She recommends investing in a calendar or personal planner. More than anything, she recommends listening to your needs. \u201cDo something you enjoy,\u201d she said. \u201cTry to get a good night\u2019s sleep and enter the exam in a state of calm.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If you or someone you know is in need of counseling or support, contact UMPI\u2019s Student Support Services. Ralph McPherson, UMPI\u2019s counselor, can be reached by phone at (207) 768-9671, or by email at <\/span>ralph.mcpherson@maine.edu<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Spring semester is not only longer than fall semester, but can seem drearier. Students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle begin spring semester in the cold and snowy climate and then slowly transition into spring. This gloomy weather combined with heavy workloads can be stressful to students. Managing this stress can seem impossible. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8161,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7137\/revisions\/8161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}