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The Indy Guide to Surviving Finals

Lauinger Library, the place we love to hate Finals are rough. We know it, you know it. So to make life a little bit easier for you, we decided to compile a list of things to look out for to help you get through this trying time. During finals, Lau becomes a second home for many of us. Knowing this, the library promotes a number of activities to help students de-stress and make Lau a more bearable place to study. Events include Lau 2 Living Room, a finals-long display featuring colouring, jigsaw puzzles, a venting board, and more. Lau is also offering “Sunset Yoga in the Murray Room”, “De-stress and De-make in the Maker Hub”, “Hang out with the Health Education Service”, and a LauStudySwag Instagram contest. Check out the Georgetown Library’s Keep Calm and Finals On page for more relevant information about how Lau, the most stressful place on Earth, can help you relax during these trying times. Yates is also an excellent anxiety-relieving resource. The gym boasts a number of aquatic, athletic and all-around wellness activities perfect for expunging all that pent-up finals week aggression and angst. First, you might check out the many permutations of swimming lessons on offer, catering to all skill levels; or if you’ve got an especially onerous ECON-459 exam coming up, enjoy a restful free swim. Additionally, you could Cura your Personalis with a flurry of group fitness exercises – cardio-based, strength-based, meditation-based, or perhaps something called ‘spinning,’ which we are told is stationary biking. And seeing as the shadowy cloud of finals drifts closer by the day, meditation of any sort is probably a good call in terms of clearing your mind. Yates can help with that, and with one-on-one dietary recommendations, health coaching, goal setting, or just general mojo restoration. Finals can also leave us wanting that simplest of pleasures: giving something a good whack. Intramural volleyball, softball and more, right out on Harbin Field, are always safe bets for a satisfying exertion. Inside Yates, racquetball, golf, tennis (table or otherwise), and squash are all get-at-able daily. Check out recreation.georgetown.edu for more details. On a more personal level, here is our advice to you: Alex - This may sound like the worst advice ever, but TV can actually be very helpful and therapeutic during finals. I tend to pick a random, easy-going show and use it as motivation to get stuff done. Get an I-can-only-watch-the-next-episode-if-I-finish-this-first situation going. Ben - Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts. While music can lull you to sleep or distract you with undeniable grooves, a podcaster — particularly one with a solid monotone voice — can be the perfect companion to have in the background of your study session. Consider picking a show that takes a deep dive into the subject matter you’re studying for; you might learn two things at once. Austin - Take the headphones off. I love, love, love to work with music, but music only helps mindless work go by faster. Choosing the ideal score to my essay inevitably takes more time than just completing it, and music filling my head makes me deaf to the mistakes I should be catching as I write. Brian - Go to the sauna in Yates. It’s a quick ten minutes in and out and it is a perfect resetter. Reagan - Make sure to get fresh air. Don’t spend 12 hours straight in your room, or in your tiny cubicle at Lau. Even if you just take a quick walk to Leo’s or M St., take the occaisional break to enjoy the weather and get refreshed. Good Luck! PC: catelinp/ Wikimedia Commons

The Indy Guide to Surviving Finals
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