At this point in the semester, a mixture of midterms and post-Fall Family Weekend blues can begin to take a toll on many of us. It’s pretty easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer business of our lives and forget that there actually is a life to be lived beyond midterms and generalized mid-semester-what-am-I-doing-with-my-life stress. But when we find ourselves in the depths of despair…
…it’s important to find moments and even days to slow down and embrace (or altogether forget) the madness. Here are some tips to get through midterms, the post-Thanksgiving-pre-Finals-slump, and beyond!
1.) Wake up early. (eek)
While waking up early has never been my cup of tea, it’s sometimes helpful to compromise an earlier bedtime with an early-morning homework or study session. A solid night of sleep and some good coffee can be the best motivators to cross some things off of your to-do list in the morning. Generally, I find that I’m far more productive in the morning than at 11pm after a day of classes. If you can make it work, it’s SO nice to cross off some tasks and still have the whole day ahead of you.
2.) Remember and HIGHLIGHT the things that you have to look forward to, both long- and short-term.
Christmas is in 62 days! Thanksgiving may be less exciting, but it’s soon! And I might get to go to Target this weekend!!
Not only do I remind myself of the things I have to look forward to while trudging through homework, but I also make sure to write these plans in my planner in pretty colors (it helps, I swear!). That way, I have some visual snippets of hope and happiness alongside my to-do list.
3.) Plan fun things at specific, slightly inconvenient times so that you have to finish homework/work/whatever makes you feel productive before that fun thing.
This is similar to #2, but I also like to plan fun things at specific times so that I have a certain time frame during which I have to get stuff done. If you want, you can try to make it like a mini-competition with yourself and see how efficiently you can get work done.
The “fun thing” that you plan for yourself can be anything: hanging out with someone, watching Netflix, staring into the abyss with a cup of coffee in hand, etc… Regardless, it’s important to reward your productivity with quality friend time (or quality me time)!
4.) Take your vitamins.
It’s just a good thing to do. Business = stress = immune system dies. I love gummy vitamins!
5.) Find your inner mantra.
When I’m especially busy, I just have to remind myself that it’s all good. I even have a coffee mug that says “It’s all good.” And really, it is all good: rarely is it the case that everything in my life is as crazy and stress-inducing as I make it out to be. Find that mantra, if it helps you, and repeat it to yourself during the busier times of your life. Finding one that’s commercialized enough to be printed on a coffee mug from TJ Maxx really helps, too.
6.) And sometimes… you just have to risk it for the biscuit.
Maybe this is actually my life mantra! Sometimes, you just have to let loose, embrace the fact that you’re crazy busy, and equally embrace the reality that you may or may not be able to do all of it in a day, but ultimately, you will survive AND thrive. Sometimes, finding balance requires that you have an experience of total imbalance. At that point, you can re-evaluate your life, maybe free yourself of an unnecessary commitment that’s wearing you down (this is the risk), and make an exchange for some sanity and fun college experiences (this is the biscuit!).
Remember: it’s all good, and don’t be afraid to risk it for a biscuit!