We’re almost at the end of the 2021 spring semester! The academic and emotional burnout has been nothing short of exhausting, but we’ve been seeing some really good news lately. Vaccines are rolling out and our #hotgirlsummer is looking incredibly hopeful. As we reach the end of this semester, here are some friendly spring reminders:
- Don’t Let Your Guard Down Yet
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As we’re seeing our friends and family get vaccinated, many of us are in the process of or already have been vaccinated. Many states just lowered the age of eligibility to 16+, and we’re steadily increasing the percentage of Americans that have been fully vaccinated — which is great news! If you’re able to get vaccinated, I strongly encourage it for your own health and well-being and for those around you. The CDC has stated that once fully vaccinated, people can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without masks and social distancing, with more information found on their website. However, we can’t let our guard down too easily. It still takes time to be considered fully vaccinated. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is administered in a single dose and takes two weeks after the initial dose to be fully protected. Pfizer and Moderna are both two-dose series separated by 21-28 days, and full protection is reached after two weeks. So until you and the people around you are fully vaccinated, keep being safe! It’s nice to start returning to some semblance of normal life, but if we want to enjoy our summer and come back fully to school and campus in the fall, now it is more important than ever to #ArmorUp so we can enjoy the life we have earned.
- Take Care of Yourself
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We all know this semester has been a neverending season of burnout, made worse by having our spring breaks moved or taken out entirely. We also just passed our one-year mark since beginning pandemic learning and quarantine life. That is no easy feat, and while we should be proud of getting here, now it’s as important as ever to keep taking care of yourself. Whether you need to clean up your physical space, take time away from academic life or just treat yourself to some serious mindfulness, it’s essential to make sure you’re okay in this present moment so that when you finally finish within the next few weeks, you aren’t dealing with the leftover feelings of burnout that have clouded these past few months. If you keep telling yourself you “just have to hang on until finals” and you don’t rest before you get to the finish line, you won’t be able to recharge and properly enjoy your time off when the semester is over. Be kind and patient with yourself — whether you’ve aced this semester or have been struggling the whole time, you’ve done your best and you’re always deserving of rest.
That being said, don’t despair. We’re very close to the end, and as long as we continue to mask up and social distance, we’ll be able to fully enjoy a safe summer and make wonderful memories. Life has been paused for so long, and I can’t wait to press play. Don’t lose hope, keep up the good efforts, and be kind to yourself. Enjoy your spring!