With the start of a new semester comes excitement, nervousness, and sometimes anxiety and dread. Especially after a nice long hiatus, thinking about the rigid routine and work of school can be overwhelming. I’ll admit that I’m not 100% thrilled to return to school. After months of distance learning because of the pandemic, I hardly can imagine trudging out of bed and driving to campus for in-person classes.
There are days I feel mentally drained and would give almost anything for an extra week off! But the world doesn’t stop, and neither does college. It’s totally okay to not feel ready for college classes to restart, but we owe ourselves to try our best.
One thing that helps me a lot is to take it one day at a time. You can hardly do what’s needed today if your mind is entangled with the future. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with keeping a planner to track assignments! I would be so lost without my own planner, but I use it more as a helpful guide to my day. Focusing on the day at hand helps me stay grounded and actually perform better! Having a jumbled mind rarely helps me be productive and focus. Sit down, look at your day ahead, and pick the most pressing one to start with. After completing that one, do the next, and then the next. Put one foot in front of the other!
Eventually, a routine will slowly, but surely, start to form. Before you know it, midterms will be here, then finals in the blink of an eye. Work hard, take breaks, and pace yourself. You’ve got this, girl!
~Anna Tye