Everyone’s got them, it’s not just you. The Mid-Term Blues (aka The MTB’s) have kicked in as the cold weather’s hit and the hard work has started to pile up. Crying down the phone to your Mum wailing ‘I want to come home!’ or ‘I might as well just quit my degree now!’ is normal for all of us at this time of year. But fear not: the world is not ending! You just need to get away from your desk, laptop and textbooks to realise this, so HerCampus have come up with a few tips to help you climb out of this November rut and kick the MTB’s until at least after Christmas.
1) Baking
Our favourite past time – baking is fun and therapeutic. Get together with your housemates in the kitchen, put some music on and find a recipe for something that you’ve never tried before. A favourite website of ours for inventive recipes, both sweet and savoury, is www.foodgawker.com. Make it a Sunday afternoon routine and a reward for a long day of staring at your laptop screen attempting to just understand your most recent essay title, let alone start writing it! If you’re missing the comforts of home, another idea is to cook up one of your Mum’s signature dishes or family recipes. Warming soups and big batches of spaghetti bolognaise will be hearty and filling enough to definitely melt away the Mid-Term Blues.
2) Get festive
Hallowe’en has been and gone, the air is chilly, and the shops in town are lavished with Christmas decorations – yes ladies, we’ve been given our cues to start getting festive! Embrace the season’s sights, sounds and tastes: set up twinkling fairy lights in your room, listen to Michael Bublé’s Christmas album and indulge in mince pies. A bit of Christmas cheer will no doubt lift you out of your decline! If you’re missing your friends from home, start planning fun things to do together during the Christmas holidays; you don’t have to be a Londoner to go ice skating at Somerset House or see Swan Lake at Sadler’s Wells. Having things to look forward to in the diary will brighten your mood and give you the motivation to work hard.
3) Take a trip out of Exeter
If you’re feeling stuck in the bubble of Exeter City, why not organise a day trip and explore one of the lovely neighbouring towns. There are loads of cosy cafes in quaint Topsham and fresh sea breezes in the seaside town of Exmouth will blow the cobwebs away. A day out of Exeter for a change of scenery will certainly provide you with an invigorating break from studying. You may want to drag a friend with you, but if they’re stressing over deadlines too much to take the trip, make a good playlist and take a non-work related book, and brave it on your own!
4) Feel good films
A good film is always the perfect solution to lifting you out of the dumps. Take a trip to co-op for [chocolate] supplies, get into your onesie, snuggle up with friends and put on a feel-good rom-com. Before you know it you’ll be crying with laughter, or at least feeling a lot happier! Word of warning, be very very careful not to watch Love Actually too soon; this film must be perfectly timed to correspond with the countdown to Christmas and watching it too soon you will run the risk of the PCB’s (Pre-Christmas Blues).
5) Head home for the weekend
As the saying goes, there really is no place like home. If you’re feeling like things are getting too much, don’t be afraid to give in and book a train home for a long weekend rest. After a catch up with siblings, some well-deserved sympathy from your parents and a couple of early nights in your own bed, you’ll be feeling much better! Once back in Exeter, you’ll find yourself well fed, rejuvenated and ready to get your head down.
Photo Credits:
http://theadirondackchickphotos.tumblr.com/ http://beautiesinlife.tumblr.com/
http://www.bluechipholidays.co.uk/holiday-cottages/exmouth-topsham/estuary-view.html http://fallingo.tumblr.com/
http://chelseabadge.tumblr.com/
http://keephighhopes.tumblr.com/