As October is rung in and the weather begins to change, we all start to feel this strange feeling inside of us. You know, that one that makes you feel defeated in every class? The one that makes getting out of bed on a chilly morning seem impossible? Yes! That same one that makes you find yourself counting down the days until you’re back at your parent’s house… you all know what I’m talking about! And I call it the mid-semester blues!
I personally have always had a very hard time being away from home. My family is so close and I love my little hometown- so being away from home is hard for me before the mid-semester blues hit. But when October comes, and so do the feels, it’s bad! I find it so hard to get out of bed on those chilly mornings, and even harder to stay focused through the rest of the semester.
Sure, the easy answer would be to just go home for a weekend, but for so many of us, going home for just two short days makes coming back to school even harder! After last year, I knew I had to be proactive in stopping myself from feeling this way this year! I didn’t completely kick away the blues- but I certainly found things that helped! I was very hesitant to share this hard time with people, but the more people I met, the more I realized we all go through the same thing! So here are some things I’ve found helpful to push through the mid-semester blues!
1. Have your family visit you!
My family had scheduled a long weekend to come to visit me, and it was probably the best thing ever! It was so nice to be with my family but not be at home where I would feel homesick when leaving! Also, being able to go out to eat and stay in a hotel makes it seem like you’re not even on campus anymore! The best part is, when you are showing your family around campus, it makes you fall back in love with it!
2. Get out of your room!
For me- this one is SO important! I find that if I just sit in my room, that’s when I find myself getting upset and missing home. But if I go study at a coffee shop, hang out at my chapter house or even just browse the shops uptown, I totally distract myself from being upset and constantly calling my family!
3. Don’t drop your level of activity!
When you’re missing home and feeling defeated it can be so easy to not feel up to going to events, socials, and meetings. However, it helps so much to push yourself to go to these things! While the process of getting up and getting ready can totally suck, it’s so worth it once you push yourself to get out and have fun!
4. Countdown the days!
While a lot of people think that counting down the days until you go home again can make it harder, I think it makes me more motivated! When you think about it college weeks go by so fast, but it’s mid-semester that you lose the most motivation, so if you have a countdown until you’re next trip home, it’s bound to fly by and keep you motivated to get to that date!
These may seem like really minuscule tips, but they all have helped me push through this year’s mid-semester blues, and hopefully, they’ll help you too!