So you find yourself in the worst part of the semester. The awkward time right after spring break, so close to finishing up the semester yet still so far to sitting on a beach enjoying your summer. The weather gets warmer and going to class sounds less appealing. So you’re probably wondering how to stay on top of your schoolwork when everyone else seems to be at the beach? Here’s how to finish the semester strong.
Ever since my freshman year of college I have kept my entire life down in writing, in a planner to be exact. Even if you don’t have a planner, writing down everything you need to do can help you remember which assignments are due. It helps you realize that in order to not stress yourself out, you need to take one assignment at a time. If you just think about everything you need to do as a whole, your anxiety may go up. Buying a planner was one of the best things I have done for myself to stay organized. I will check it almost every hour of the day. From homework assignments to important dates to save to non related academic events such as appointments are all in there written all the way up until the end of the year. Planners are inexpensive and a great way to visualize everything that you need to do that week. They have helped me as well as many other college kids to stay on top of our assignments and not miss anything that needs to be done.
Another way to finish the semester strong is to make time for yourself. The end of a semester and finals can take a toll on us, stress rates are always the highest around the time of finals. Many cope with stress in different ways but some include drawing a bath, putting on a face mask, taking a mental health day if necessary, going to the beach, binge-watching your favorite television show, whatever the case may be. Setting aside time to destress is crucial to doing well and having a level head when finals roll around. Taking these moments and clearing your head will help you focus better when studying or taking that final you’ve been stressing all week about. Meditation and/or yoga is proven to be one of the best ways to get rid of stress and feel relaxed and it is also good for a wide variety of people, it isn’t something you need experience to do.
The final tip to finish the semester strong is to not be so hard on yourself, do the best that you can. It takes a long time to do this but it will be so beneficial once you allow yourself to forgive yourself for maybe failing a final or doing worse than you may have thought you did. Make sure that you sleep well enough, take that trip to Starbucks, and have enough time to get to each class to look over notes and just take a second. I know it can be hard but as long as you take things one at a time, pace yourself, and take the time you need for your own mental health, you will be done in no time.