It’s hard to keep yourself from soaking up the rays when you should be soaking up those Spanish vocab words, but here are some tips to stay focused when spring fever is at its worst.
Keep your energy up
I know taking a nap while the warm breeze blows through your window sounds perfect after a 9 a.m. class because yes, 9 a.m. is too early for me. But those two hours could be put towards something more useful like getting that grueling lab report done. Coffee and Red Bull are go-tos, but eating snacks that will boost your energy while keeping you healthy at the same time sound are even better. Try a handful of almonds after that early class or a banana or apple if you’re craving a piece of fruit. Yogurt and cereal can help, too, and they will keep you fuller longer. If it’s near lunch time, a bagel or crackers with peanut butter smeared on them won’t let you skip your afternoon class. You’ll probably be staring out the window at the guy lying in the hammock with pure envy, but hey, people are also staring at him because he’s on a hammock in the middle of campus, which is kind of weird…
Warm Weather Workout
When you’re craving that breath of fresh air, get a workout out of it; it won’t leave you feeling bad when you have a different kind of craving later on (fro-yo anyone?). Spring provides the perfect workout weather because it’s not too hot or not too cold. Two laps around Patriot Circle are about 4 miles. You’ll have a good view of the blossoming trees and flowers to keep your mind off the sweat ruining your makeup. Plus, exercise is one of the best ways to release stress, which the last stretch of the semester brings a lot of.
Lately, I’ve found that running at night gives me a better workout because the cool air allows me to run just that much faster. Take a friend, though, or at least a phone because you never know who could be lurking in the bushes…scary but true.
Fighting Through Finals
During the two weeks of finals, it’s incredibly hard not to slack off, especially while daydreaming about summer vacations, sand, and saltwater. You may even find yourself wanting to a take a trip with all that spare time between two of your finals. But if you think about it, you could be using this time to study, study, study! Don’t kill yourself, though, because obviously studying non-stop would do more harm than good. So instead of taking a 3-day trip to the shore or going home to see your friends for a few days, go on a mini-daytrip to Georgetown to do some killer shopping, or to D.C. to see the pretty cherry blossoms. Last year, my friends and I went to Kings Dominion for a day, and you can bet we released some major stress while screaming on Drop Zone. I googled ‘what to do in the spring’ hoping to find some other fun things for you collegiettes to do. I came across ideas like, “Identify bird behaviors in your neighborhood,” “Look for a snail or slug,” and “Find a weed and identify it.” Um, no thanks…I think laying out is good enough for me!