Let’s face it, midterm season is the worst. Situated just long enough into the school year to give the illusion that we love our classes, midterm season can feel like it comes out of nowhere. It is important to remember to keep yourself mentally healthy and engaged in your work to get through the rough patch and come out feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished. Some days it feels like it’s just not going to happen. This guide is for those days.
1. Rewards Rewards Rewards
Reward yourself for the little things. Created a study guide? I think that earned you a few skittles. Finished reviewing a pset? That’s why you invested in double stuffed oreos, obvs. Just make sure you keep the rewards under control so you don’t end up binge watching Youtube videos instead of studying or finishing that paper.
2. Clean Start
If you’re feeling all over the place in your work, try doing something to clean up your life. If you take a few minutes to throw your dirty clothes in the washer, wipe down the bathroom, organize your books, or tidy up your room, it can help you feel productive and organized. When you know that you can make your clothes neat, folded, and organized, you might feel more like that paper can follow suit. So much of getting through midterms is mental. Psych yourself into it by giving yourself a clean start.
3. Dance breaks
Take a mental break when you feel yourself fading. Do something silly like macarena alone in your room or try to solo karaoke a song you don’t now on youtube. Something different works for everyone, but find something small that you can use to reset yourself when the mundanity hits.
4. Remember that it’s okay to cry
Midterms suck. Everyone gets overwhelmed or flustered or self-doubt-y at times, and sometimes all you need is an emotional release. If it needs to happen, let it happen, just try not to do it next to a stranger in the library, or you might want to find a new study spot.
5. Plan ahead
This advice is coming a bit late, I know, but hear me out. Everyone knows it is good to plan ahead to organize your time and get studying or writing done over the course of a few days rather than in an all nighter. I’m just recommending that you try to schedule in which nights you can afford to stay up, so that you don’t accidentally bank on staying up three nights in a row, and end up struggling to either finish the papers and/or cover the material while also slowly dying inside.
6. Crunch the numbers
When I get stressed about a paper or a test, I like to calculate exactly what the minimum score needed is on that paper or test to get the grade I want in the class. If I set the bar unrealistically high, I readjust my expectations. Should you try your hardest? Yes. But if you’re a perfectionist, it might help you get through the test prep and/or the papers to know that your goal is achievable.