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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rollins chapter.

Midterm season is upon us. The workload is daunting and it may seem like the worst possible time to take a break, but it could be what you need most right now. Prioritizing self-care is always important, but especially so in stressful times like midterms. Filling your schedule with all work and no play is a recipe for disaster. The last thing you want is for your productivity to come to a screeching halt because you’ve burned yourself out.

Avoiding academic burnout can be so hard, not to mention balancing work, it can seem impossible—it’s not.  Taking a break from your essays or  lab reports can feel like a waste of time, but it will help you in the long run. At first, it might be hard to wrap your head around the importance of doing nothing, I know it definitely was for me. There are so many benefits to taking a break, not only for your academics but for your mental health as well.

Taking a night off from homework and making time to do things you enjoy can be a great way to recharge. Taking a step back from your workload to clear your head might just make things click when you return. It’s like when you’ve been staring at a puzzle for too long and can’t seem to find the right piece. If you don’t feel comfortable doing absolutely nothing for one day, which I totally get, limit yourself to just one assignment or set a homework “curfew” for yourself. 

If it comforts those of you who are skeptics, you’re not really doing nothing. As college students it can be easy for us to put too much emphasis on our academics and not enough on our own wellbeing. Self-care doesn’t have to be an expensive spa day and massage, or an extensive skin and hair care routine. Self-care includes all of the things you love to do. It might be reading something that you find pleasure in and not because it was assigned in your  syllabus. Catching up on your favorite show or finally being able to watch that movie you never got around to seeing in the theater because you were so caught up in your mountain of schoolwork. One of my favorite self-care practices is taking myself out for coffee and taking a walk off campus.
Once you have taken care of yourself, and it’s time to get back to your homework, you should be feeling like you’re ready to tackle your assignments, rather than fearing they’re going to tackle you. Doing nothing may be the key to getting everything done this semester.

Samantha Cavallo is in her third year as a writer for Her Campus. She enjoys writing about anything and everything, though her pieces often focus on celebrities and pop culture or mental health and wellbeing. Sam is currently a junior at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology, and she is from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. After earning her Bachelor's degree, she plans to pursue a PhD in School Psychology. Beyond Her Campus, she is involved in many organizations on campus that focus on supporting the campus community, such as the Wellness Ambassadors, where she works in Health Promotions to promote the Nine Dimensions of Wellness, and the Student Support Foundation, operating the campus food pantry and providing emergency grants to students, faculty, and staff in need. In her free time, Sam enjoys reading, going to Barre class, finding new things to do in and around the Orlando area, especially if there is rumored to be good food, and Facetiming her dog Dexter. She is a major fan of both Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers (she even got it tattooed to prove it) and loves going to concerts, and of course dressing up for them.