Give yourself a pat on the back because we have officially made it through to the middle of the semester! If you’re a freshman, I hope that you’ve enjoyed your first taste of college life. If you’re a sophomore or an upperclassmen, I hope this semester has been kinder to you than the previous ones.
As a junior myself, it has been the most hectic September/October of my life. This past weekend, I finally got the chance to sit back and relax. During my period of rest and relaxation, I realized just how early on I had started feeling burned out.
So, as the avid planner that I am, I decided to create some must-do’s for the upcoming semester. Hopefully, this helps you manage the semester better too!
- Time blocking
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I tend to go haywire when it comes to organizing my time. While I pride myself on my time management skills, sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the things I have to do and which to prioritize. A TikTok I saw recently helped me find a fix for this: time blocking.
Time blocking is essentially blocking out certain periods of time for specific tasks. For example, my Monday’s from 5pm to 7pm are reserved strictly for academic work. This means that I work solely on academic related tasks with 100% attention, not getting distracted by my devices. It also means putting aside all my other activities such as club-related tasks or internship applications.
Time-blocking helps ensure that I am not scuffling with the mounds of different work I have to do. Instead, it ensures that I am focusing on, and thereby successfully completing, one area of work.
- movie night (or day)!
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We all know how much energy and intellectual capacity is spent in day-to-day academic pursuits. Often, we fail to remember that unwinding is just as important as hustling.
Planning a designated date and time of the week for a movie night may help you to take a backseat from the constant stressing. You could schedule it for the middle of the week or at the end of the week, depending on what suits you best. And hey, feel free to invite some friends and really turn it into the de-stressing heaven that we desperately need!
- schedule time for creativity
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As much as I love mindless activities to unwind, like watching movies, sometimes taking a break also means redirecting your attention to things you love. Unleashing your creativity is an excellent way to achieve this! Participating in regular creativity-based activities is a mindful and meaningful way to put effort into something that has no end goal. It’s all about letting yourself be directed by your intuition and allowing yourself to remember that being present and attentive is not strictly bound to stress.
Some ways to do this are drawing, painting, creative writing, or playing an instrument.
Shameless side plug here, but: Writing articles at Her Campus about anything and/or everything you want is an amazing creative hustle too!
- social meetings at least once a week
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Between running to classes, going to work, club meetings, and trying to stay mentally sane, it can feel physically impossible to maintain a social life. I’m a victim of this too. Unfortunately, as human beings, we are biologically wired to be social, so a lack of social interaction can make us feel lost and isolated. It could be detrimental to your mental health, and negatively impact your semester in the long run.
I’ve found that pre-planning social dates/events at least once, ideally twice, a week can keep you connected with people you enjoy. Being able to unwind without the worries and hassles of academic life can help re-energize you, and make you feel more optimistic about the hard days ahead.
Be sure to schedule these meetings ahead of time, so that you can hold yourself accountable to this commitment!
- Periodic self check-ins
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Finally, while we may be thriving socially, academically, and professionally, it is very easy to lose your sense of self. We tend to get caught up in the hustle-and-bustle of the semesters activities that we disconnect from ourselves and our needs. In fact, it may even feel daunting to let yourself feel the exhaustion from all the stress you’ve endured.
I always recommend starting with journaling. Getting myself a cute little diary that I pour my heart into has been one of the best self-care moves I have made. Whether it’s venting about a bad interaction to penning down all your delusions, journalling can help with getting to know yourself.
Eventually, you can graduate to doing little check-ins in between your day. Some questions to ask yourself are: How am I feeling right now? Do I know why I’m feeling like this? If I’m having negative emotions, is there anyway that I can work through it.
At the end of the day, you are your best friend. So get to know yourself, and have your back no matter what!
School is tough. So if you made it this far, or haven’t, I’m proud of you! The rest of the semester may feel daunting, but I hope that integrating some of these tips into your life will help you stay sane.