With the semester in full swing, it’s easy to get caught up in what’s going on with school, friends and clubs. If these signs hit home, you should take a step back and take a well-deserved breather.
1. Lack of sleep has turned into 30 minutes of sleep.
You can’t even remember the last time you got more than four hours of sleep and you catch yourself starting to doze off in class.
2. You go into the dining hall and crave everything.
The cravings are real. You don’t even know why you’re craving ice cream, but you do know you need it now. Especially the chocolate frozen yogurt at Berk.
3. You don’t function until you’ve had coffee.
We all know coffee is life, but if you can’t think straight before having your morning cup, it’s time to rethink your choices. Even the baristas at People’s Organic know your order by now.
4. Your schedule right now has just appointments with professors.
If you don’t have time to see friends, you need to start thinking about the balance between your school life and social life.
5. Your mood swings are out of control.
You try to blame it on your period but you just know that’s not the case. One second you’re on top of the world and the next you feel like everything is crashing down on you.
6. You’ve started losing focus in class.
Lectures have turned into slurred and blurry blocks of hours and you don’t even know what you did in class that day. Your notes have turned into illegible scribbles and … is that coffee spilled all over your notebook?
7. You’re experiencing physical symptoms.
If you’re getting headaches and feeling more tired than usual, there’s a pretty good chance you’re taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed.
Being overwhelmed is totally normal, and if you’re feeling like you have too much on your plate, don’t worry — you can get back in the groove:
1. Hit the gym.
The gym must have special healing powers because after a good cardio session, you just feel fantastic.
2. Talk to a friend.
Sometimes you just really need someone to talk to. Catching up with a friend is a great way to relieve stress and focus on something that isn’t bothering you.
3. Write down everything you need to do.
Visualizing everything you need to do is a surefire way to see exactly what’s going on.
4. Take care of yourself.
Take some time for yourself! Stay in one night and read a good book, drink some tea or just listen to some music to get your mind off things.
5. Watch a good movie.
Get some friends together and have a movie night! Comedies are always a good choice when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Halfway through the semester can be stressful, but there are many ways you can help yourself get through it!