It’s that time of year again, the halfway point in the semester. A section of the school year that nearly all university students dread, as assignments pile up and midterm exam season rolls out. It’s a time when students often find themselves preparing for countless hours of stress and several days steering away from a proper sleep schedule.
In a 2024 report conducted by the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, 75 percent of the 30,000 students surveyed from over 50 schools reported receiving less than the average eight hours of sleep on weeknights.
However, there are strategies to survive the mid-semester slump without sacrificing your physical and mental health in the process.
I’m sure any college student reading this right now is expecting to hear the repetitive, surface-level suggestions such as taking a walk, staying hydrated, or getting enough sleep—the typical advice they expect to hear from health professionals or on social media.
I’ve seen the endless productivity hacks that students post on Instagram and TikTok about how they ditch all-nighters and still maintain a high GPA.
This is what I plan to deliver: five honest tips and tricks for overcoming mid-semester burnout, based on my four-year-long attempt to push through creative blocks.
- Stop and Shop
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Going for a walk can be a good excuse to participate in retail therapy. While a shopping spree may not improve your finances, even window shopping provides students with a temporary escape from schoolwork by offering a change of scenery and a personal reward for their progress.
A 2014 research study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that shopping lifts people’s spirits by restoring a sense of control, allowing them to exercise personal choice over their purchasing decisions.
The commercial activity also triggers the brain to release “happy hormones” such as dopamine, which can heighten the entire shopping experience
Taking a short break to walk by your favourite clothing store or coffee shop, with the thought of possibly rewarding yourself with something, can put you in a better mood— restoring a positive attitude to drive your productivity.
- Consume Comfort Food
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Embracing your food cravings when stressed can surprisingly stir up a rewarding recipe for work efficiency. Yes, food is the essential fuel for the brain and body to function properly, but comfort food restores more than just energy; it restores joy.
Cooking a box of mac n cheese, devouring your favourite bag of chips, or ordering from your favourite takeout spot on Uber Eats can spark a refreshing sense of happiness.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, people psychologically turn to foods linked to cozy moments from their past as a coping mechanism for stress and sadness. These foods send warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia, boosting dopamine to motivate the brain to work harder for a reward.
However, a sense of guilt tends to linger as the term “comfort food” is commonly associated with unhealthy “junk” food.
There are comfort foods that exist beyond desserts and deep-frying. Soups, pastas, or chilli can all be considered comfort food with high nutritional value!
Comfort food is not defined by a specific food, but the joyous feeling it brings to the individual. So whether you prefer to eat figs or fries, consuming your favourite foods while pressed for projects and exams can be the warm hug you need to power through your study struggles.
- Rewatch a Comfort Movie or TV Show
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Closing the laptop to turn on the television can look like a lazy excuse to avoid work, but this type of study break can actually help refresh, re-focus and re-energize the body and brain to return to work.
Taking a short step away from schoolwork to revisit an old favourite film or an episode from a TV series you know and love can act as a virtual escape from the daily grind of schoolwork.
According to a research study by psychology professor Jaye Derrick of the University at Buffalo, rewatching a movie or a TV show can help drained college students relieve stress and regain a sense of self-control.
Since they already know the storylines, they don’t have to think about anything other than curling up on the couch and letting the plot play out. These types of movies and TV shows also hold nostalgic connections to the past— wrapping you up in a cozy blanket of happy memories.
While binge-watching can eat up precious chunks of work time, briefly returning to your comfort watches in between study sessions can transfer the positive energy radiating from the screen to the student, restoring brain power with renewed motivation and clarity.
- Have a Mini Cry-Session
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Sometimes all you need is a good cry to get you back on track. When carrying the physical weight of papers, projects and exams on your back, sometimes the emotional weight may not match up.
However, holding back tears can hold back productivity. The thought of trying not to cry occupies brain space, consuming physical and emotional energy required for decision-making and problem-solving.
According to Harvard Medical School, crying releases oxytocin and endorphins— two brain chemicals used to flush out stress hormones and toxins built up inside the eyes.
Crying is often labelled as a sign of weakness, when it’s actually a symbol of strength.
An article from Very Well Health points to how crying can help people return to a stable emotional state,“ where they can think with a clear mind and without emotional pressure weighing on their shoulders”.
Think of it this way: letting your tears flow can help you see through the brain fog and find a path forward with your schoolwork.
- Have a Living Room Dance Party
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Like those dancing scenes in the Netflix original series Ginny & Georgia, putting on music and dancing around your living room for a short 5-10 minutes can be a fun activity to circulate blood flow and refresh the brain.
With full-time university students spending up to an average of 15 hours a week sitting in lecture halls and labs, exercise is crucial in burning off stress.
According to a 2025 research study published in the Psychology of Sport and Exercise, dancing releases more endorphins than the average workout, as it combines exercise with music therapy. Listening to music sends positive sound waves to help calm the mind.
Through dance, they can transform their feelings of frustration into a joyful, active expression. Whether you’re dancing solo or with your roommates, a living room dance party allows you to hit pause on academic anxiety and leaves you more cheerful and confident to conquer your next task.
On the surface, these study break strategies may seem unhealthy, but there are healthy benefits buried between the lines. Coming up with your own set of study survival tips can help you figure out which activities boost your workflow and which ones derail it.
While my list of productivity tips and tricks may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they help me feel less guilty about taking breaks.
Coming from a fourth-year student on the verge of burnout, take it from me when I say a guilt-free self-care routine is essential to achieving academic success without losing your mind.