The holidays are over! Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I guess it depends on who you ask. But as we all know, the end of the holidays means the beginning of a brand new semester. And again, depending on who you ask, that might just be a good thing. Or maybe not. We’ll see. But as someone who has survived seven new semester starts, I’ve built up some tricks that may help you transition a little smoother than before.
First things first, all of your classes are now in new rooms. Maybe even in new buildings. Don’t worry! Most move-in days are the day before classes start, right? Take advantage of that! Grab a friend, grab your schedules, and figure out where your classrooms are. You don’t want to be the person who walks into CIV 202 when you really needed MAT 150, right? It’s also not a bad idea to map out a walking path. If you’re like me, you get stuck with what I like to call the “10 minute sprint from hell.” This is when you’ve got one class on one side of campus and one immediately following in the opposite corner. It sucks. But if you map out (and time!) the quickest route between the two, you’ll be much more relaxed on that first day. It’s like a trial run! Maybe even literally.
Okay, got that? Great. Now let’s talk about something you can do the night before your first day of class. (And the morning of. And everyday if you feel like it!) Yoga. Seriously. You don’t even need a mat. All you need is a floor and I’m pretty confident we all have one of those. Get on YouTube and search “yoga for stress” and find one that looks good to you. (I tend to stick with Yoga with Adriene––she’s got a sequence for everything.) Make your roommate do this, too. I’ve found the best time to do this is right before bed, because it’ll put your mind in a peaceful state, which will carry over into morning. But here’s the kicker. If you’re not someone who has ever done yoga before, remember this: do not stress yourself out about not being able to do the poses! That will defeat the entire purpose of doing yoga in the first place. Just do what feels natural. Let yourself relax. That’s what matters. I promise, it really does help. Okay. Find your classes and do some yoga. Those are two things that you can do the day/night before classes start, now what about the day of? Well, you’re going to hate me for this but… get up early. I know, I know. What college student likes to get up early? I know I don’t, but on the first day, I force myself out of bed at least two hours before my first class. Why? One, I do some more yoga. Just a quick morning sequence, usually between 5-15 minutes is all it takes to wake myself up. But I also cook myself breakfast that first day. If you’re in a dorm, go out to breakfast. I’d even suggest (for those with cars) going to an actual restaurant versus the cafeteria. I’m not saying to get up early everyday. I’m the queen of getting out of bed 20 minutes before class and rolling into the room in whatever I slept in the night before. (Don’t judge me, you’ve done it too.) But something about having been up for a couple of hours on that first day makes me feel more aware of myself. It’s good. Try it out.
And finally, and this is probably the weirdest advice you’ll ever get about the first day of a new semester, treat yo’ self. Yep. Take yourself and some friends to the movies. Or bowling. Or out for sushi. Or all three, if you feel like it and still have money left from the holidays. Doing this (at least for me) will help you realize that just because school has started again, doesn’t mean you can’t have a life. Go have some fun. And remember: you’ll survive this semester. You’ve got this.