Midterm season is a stressful time for students in college, containing hours of study sessions, essays, and exams. And it’s a little unfair that this time of year is filled with fun fall events and halloween parties. While scroll on your feed and see others socializing and being outside, you might be face down in textbooks or staring at your unfinished essay that is due soon. But the thing is, the majority of college students feel the same way. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is stressful and makes it hard to focus on school work, making you want to go out and potentially miss an assignment and fall behind. But thousands of students are able to healthily manage their school life and social life, and here’s a few tips that could help you out.Â
Limit Social Media Exposure
Seeing friends online go out and socialize is one of the biggest causes of FOMO. No one wants to see someone having fun while you’re stuck studying. Staying away from social media will help you not realize what you could potentially be missing out on. In this case, the less you know, the better. But don’t think that way for your midterms!
Make A Daily To-Do List
Creating a list of everything you need to finish is a great way of not forgetting your tasks to complete. One tip is to start off with writing the different assignments for each class with due dates. Then once you have that list, create daily lists of what assignments need to be done on each specific day. This will help you space out each task and keep you from stressing about doing too much in one day.Â
Study Breaks
Studying, reading, and writing non stop is so tiring! Short breaks after focusing for a while can really help you focus for a longer time in the day. For example, for every 50 minutes you spend studying, take 10 minutes away from the books by talking with friends, having a snack, or even stepping outside to enjoy some fresh air.Â
Celebrate With Small Treats
Who doesn’t like a small treat every now and then? Every time you finish an essay, exam, or a study session, celebrate that win with treating yourself to your favorite snack, drink, or going to hangout with your friends.Â
Prioritize Academic Journey
Try to think about why you are in the middle of midterms. It’s because you are continuing your academic adventure by getting a college degree to do what you want in the future! All of this work you’re doing right now is to set you up for your successful life and that is something you should be proud of! But it does require some work, so let’s go hit the books.Â
Remember, FOMO is something that everyone experiences when they’re busy and want to have fun. But just because you can’t go out and socialize now doesn’t mean you won’t get the chance again. Once midterms are over and done with, treat yourself to some time with friends.