This time of year is incredibly stressful. We all have a million things going on between classes, clubs, work/internships, maintaining a social life, and, if you’re me, being incredibly homesick. Usually, my answer to feeling like I’m in a winter rut is to listen to “Day After Tomorrow” by Phoebe Bridgers. This actually makes me feel much worse and drives my burnout even more. Here are some tips I am trying to use to avoid further burnout and push myself through the last two weeks of the semester.
- Plan little things to look forward to
I am a college student on a budget. I am definitely not suggesting spending hundreds of dollars on a fancy dinner and a theatre performance. I promise your campus has tons of little things you can add to your schedule. Lunch with a friend (using your swipes), bingo with prizes, or a nice nature walk around your campus are great examples of free things you can add to make yourself look forward to something. Even just setting little goals with a treat for yourself like, “If I study for another 45 minutes, I’ll give myself 10 minutes of TikTok.”
- Be intentional with your surroundings
Often, it is easy to become what your surroundings are. If you find yourself around negative friends, music, study habits, or messy rooms, it is easy to also mentally feel cluttered or negative. Give yourself the gift of being in a positive atmosphere. If your friends are constantly complaining about their workload, invite them out for lunch together to bring spirits high. If you notice your mood decreasing a lot with sadder music (I am so guilty of this), try to place some more happy music, even if just the tune is happier, but the lyrics aren’t.
- Call your friends/family from home
I am very close with my parents but sometimes when I get burnt out, I want to isolate myself and wallow a little bit; put my nose in a book and study away, alone, until I fall asleep. While studying this finals season is important, try to call some of your loved ones from home. Parents, siblings, friends, or even grandparents can remind you that you’re going to see them soon, if you can, when you go home for winter break! This semester is not permanent.
- Tackle your studying in bite-sized amounts
My workload has been extremely high this year. I plan a schedule during my days methodically, going hour by hour and attaching assignments to times of the day. While this is helpful, remember you cannot do it all in 24 hours. Plan ahead so that you can schedule breaks or at least switch the topic. Studying one subject for too long makes me feel like it has been longer than it actually is. If you do a little of each class in short spurts, it may be easier to retain info and not get as exhausted.
- Make some new playlists
I am not a very crafty person, but I do love to use the creative side of my brain. For me, this is creating new Spotify playlists. I celebrate Christmas, so especially this time of year, I love making very niche playlists for specific winter events (ie. Playlist for sitting by the cozy fire with hot cocoa, very different than my car ride before shopping for a Christmas tree playlist). This may also be creating a Pinterest board! Something to make life seem a little more aesthetic makes me much more likely to stay positive throughout the day.
Burnout may seem inevitable. There are definitely going to be hard days in the last push before we go home, but I hope this makes it a little easier to manage. Happy, almost, holidays!