Midterms during senior year seem to be hitting everyone hard, and I get it. We’re exhausted, losing motivation, and just want to rot in bed all day. Senior year is supposed to be exciting, but being exhausted makes it hard to enjoy it. So, here’s what I’m going to be doing to make senior year feel like less of a drag.
1. Seeing Friends Outside of School
Adding some things to look forward to throughout the week can help break up the rest of the semester. So, making plans with friends to go to coffee shops, grab dinner, thrift, go for a walk or hit the gym together can help break up the endless nights of studying and working. Even if it is school related, just studying at a cafe instead of on campus or at home makes a huge difference.
2. Prioritizing Sleep
I used to be the type of person that could run off five hours of sleep (or less), but I’ve really seen a difference in how I feel once I started prioritizing 7-8 hours. I’m more alert, energized, and capable, which is exactly how we should feel. We can’t perform our best without rest.
3. Making a Countdown Until Break/Graduation
This is a helpful reminder that this stress is temporary, and we are getting closer to our goals. Seeing a countdown may help remove some of our thoughts that this stress is never-ending. It can either be on your phone, or you can be creative and make a cute countdown to look at daily.
4. Forcing Myself to Leave the House
During the week, I’m not at home very much, but most of the time I’m either on campus or at work. So, getting out of the house for something unrelated to either can help me break the association between life being solely connected to school or work. Whether it’s going for a walk outside, running errands I’ve been putting off, or just grabbing a coffee, getting out helps me change my environment and shift my focus away from work and school.
5. Studying With a Pomodoro Timer
Midterms season is about the time when we feel less motivated to study, so something that helps me is to find a pomodoro timer with lo-fi music on YouTube. The pomodoro method has been very effective for my studying, and it puts me at a time limit so it doesn’t feel like I have to study forever. Breaking studying up into chunks and having an overall time limit can help me be more productive than simply studying with no timer at all.
6. Not Letting Myself Fall Behind – Momentum is Key
A couple of my classes this semester are very relaxed with due dates, but this is a trap for me. Once I know that I have flexibility with my deadlines, I will unintentionally push them further back to prioritize other assignments. While this can be helpful for some, it creates more stress for me. It also adds another assignment onto my plate that I could’ve finished ages ago. School is like keeping momentum: once you’re on track, it’s easier to stay on track. But, once you fall behind, it’s hard to get started again. So, maintaining the momentum I’ve already built is something I want to focus on for the rest of the semester.
7. Focusing on Self Care
Self care is something we all need to prioritize during stressful and exhausting times. Even if it feels like we don’t have time for it, we tend to burn out more quickly if we don’t fill our cups first. Recently for me, this has looked like taking 10 minutes before bed to do my skincare, or spending 20 minutes coloring. Find something that lets you fill your own cup before you keep pouring your effort into other things.
8. Consume Inspiring Content
I have realized that the type of content I consume has a big effect on my motivation. My mind feels like a sponge: I see someone being productive, organizing their space, studying, working out, and then I want to be productive. But if I consume content that doesn’t align with how I want to be, I find myself spending more time scrolling and convincing myself to not follow my priorities. So, when I do go on my phone, I make sure all of the content I consume is aligned with my current goals, so it is easier for me to stay inspired and motivated to do the same thing.
Senior year is a big combination of excitement, burnout, stress, and anticipation. Trying to finish strong while maintaining a work/life balance is hard. The solution isn’t 100% locking in and forcing myself to push through; it’s incorporating rest, self-care, and time with the people I care about. While counting down the days until graduation is fun, that’s not all I want to do. I want to enjoy the time I have left, while still being proud of what I’ve accomplished.