Coming back to school after winter break was harder than I thought it would be. Being home for such a long time made me remember how much I missed seeing my family and friends, so returning without any of them was a struggle. It definitely did not help that my overly motivated self from the weeks leading up to winter break chose a schedule with 17 credit hours and got a job. It would be an understatement to say that I am busy and stressed.
Despite all of these dilemmas, the most important thing to do to overcome them is to focus on starting the spring semester out strong! Here are some of the things I have done over these past few weeks to begin a successful semester.
plan, plan, plan
While it may seem simple, I think the best thing I did for myself was buy a planner and a calendar. At the start of every day, I write out each course I am taking along with my objectives for the day and the upcoming week. This allows me to organize the work I feel is important to get done within the day along with knowing the importance of each assignment. By doing this, I have been able to be sure of deadlines and plan out proper amounts of time to complete assignments.
My calendar, which happens to have cats on every page, has also been a great help in staying organized. With my days consisting of work, classes, meetings and homework, it is super hard to keep up with all of the events. By utilizing a calendar, I am able to write down what I have to do at different times of day along with the following days!
Make time for yourself
It is extremely easy to get caught up in your professional and academic obligations, but it is also important to think of your mental health throughout this process. Putting too much time into these activities will leave you burnt out and exhausted, and I know this from experience. Throughout this process of adapting back to being at school, I had allotted times throughout every day that I had to do something for myself. This can be anything that you enjoy! I like to give myself the time to read, go to the gym and spend some time on my phone before going to sleep early.
Doing these small things for myself daily has definitely kept me more sane while being extremely busy!
get involved
One great thing about the spring semester that I have quickly noticed is all of the opportunities to join new groups. There are plenty of student organizations, clubs and even Greek life opportunities to take ahold of, which is super exciting! Joining a sorority or club may seem a bit stressful during the first semester, as everyone is getting acclimated to their new routines, but the second semester is the perfect time! After having an entire first semester to get used to the school, you come back second semester and have the resources to join more activities.
A new semester, while it may bring stress, opens the door of opportunity! Take control of this possibility and do what makes you feel happy and organized to have a successful spring semester.