{"id":869,"date":"2025-11-24T13:37:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T18:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/?p=869"},"modified":"2025-11-24T13:37:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T18:37:39","slug":"deadlines-dance-breaks-and-everything-in-between","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/2025\/11\/24\/deadlines-dance-breaks-and-everything-in-between\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadlines, Dance Breaks, and Everything In Between"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Ashley Laleau, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Well-Being Leader<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well\u2026 the weight of classes has definitely hit me these past few weeks; even when I felt like I was working hard, it somehow still felt like I was barely keeping up. Balancing emotional stress with academic expectations isn\u2019t easy, and I know a lot of you might be feeling that same tug-of-war between what\u2019s happening at home or internally and what school demands of you. If that\u2019s you, please know you\u2019re not alone, and you\u2019re always welcome to talk with me about anything you\u2019re navigating \u2013 whether it\u2019s academics or something much more personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, like many students, I\u2019ve been also trying to figure out how to balance my finances \u2013 budgeting, cutting back where I can, and giving myself grace when things get tight. This month was a reminder that financial stress doesn\u2019t exist in a vacuum; it affects your energy, your focus, your ability to show up in class, and even your motivation to do things you enjoy. I\u2019ve been learning to prioritize needs over wants, planning ahead for bigger purchases (like the guitar I\u2019m hoping to get by the end of the year), and becoming more mindful about where my money goes each week. It\u2019s still a work in progress \u2013 and honestly, some days it feels like an entire extra class I did not sign up for \u2013 but I know many of us are trying to figure out these same things quietly. You\u2019re not alone if you\u2019re feeling that pressure too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the middle of all that heaviness, I\u2019ve also been finding moments that reminded me how grounding simple joys can be. One of the highlights of my month was spending time singing and dancing with my best friend. It feels like I\u2019ve been tapping back into creative outlets lately, leaning on the people in my life who inspire me \u2013 friends who sing, dance, play instruments, and remind me how important it is to just express rather than perfect. That energy has made me want to reconnect with my own creative side again; I\u2019m actually hoping to get a guitar by the end of the year so I can start practicing and bring that part of myself back to life. It\u2019s not about becoming an expert overnight but about carving out space for something that feels nourishing and true to who I am. Fashion is one of my favorite mediums, and I love to express that through my locs, my outfit, my accessories. Each piece is a way to communicate my mood, my culture, and even my resilience. My hair has become such a powerful part of that expression \u2013 an extension of my identity that I get to style and celebrate every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this together \u2013 academic stress, personal pressures, creative renewal, financial juggling \u2013 has made this month emotionally complicated but also strangely clarifying. It reminds me how important it is to have support, to have spaces where we can talk,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

decompress, or simply not hold everything by ourselves. So if you\u2019ve been struggling with your classes, with things going on at home, with finding creative outlets, with money, or with anything else that\u2019s been weighing on you, please know my door is open. You don\u2019t need to have the perfect words or a \u201cbig enough\u201d problem. If you want someone to listen, help, or just sit with you in whatever you\u2019re carrying, I\u2019m here. Let\u2019s continue taking care of ourselves and each other, especially as we step into the next month and holiday season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Ashley Laleau, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Well-Being Leader Well\u2026 the weight of classes has definitely hit me these past few weeks; even when I felt like I was working hard, it somehow still felt like … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1647,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":870,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869\/revisions\/870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}