The end of the semester is stressful in a lot of ways. Final projects, book reviews, papers. Final plans with friends before leaving them for the winter. Social club events. Money also adds a lot of stress at the end of the semester when Bean Bucks start running out and Christmas shopping becomes an obligation. With the end of the semester upon us, students need to take time for themselves to make sure they are being taken care of.
Stay active.
It gets harder to move your body when it’s cold outside. All your joints feel stiff and it’s even harder to get out of a warm cozy bed. But, moving in any way will help wake up your body and your mind, and we all know how good exercise is for our brains and overall well being. There are ways to work out that are not high stress. Take advantage of the free yoga classes offered at the rec center, or even take a brisk 30-minute walk around the Lunsford.
Go to sleep.
Get sleep. Seriously. Getting at least seven hours of sleep a night will make a world of difference in your performance in school and in work. Although sometimes sleep seems nonproductive when you have a laundry list of things to do, prioritizing sleep will make you a more efficient and productive worker. And, if you don’t have enough time in your schedule to get adequate sleep, that probably is a sign you are doing too much. Maybe you should cut back on some things and commitments.
Eat good food.
In addition to food and sleep, nutrition is also important to ensuring success. For those who live off campus, here are some easy, quick, cheap meal ideas for college students in times of constant on-the-go activities and a limited budget. For those who live on campus, try visiting the salad bar in the Bean and getting some vegetables in your diet. What kind of food you eat matters.
Drink water.
But you already know that. If you have a hard time drinking the recommended 64 ounces of plain water a day, try adding fresh fruit to your water bottle to give it some flavor and motivate you to get it down.
Get Creative.
Make at least a little time for your hobbies, no matter what they are. Taking care of yourself and prioritizing your own wants and needs is important in the prevention of turning you into a school-and-work-only zombie.
At the end of semesters, it is hard to feel ourselves. We become robots just trying to get through. Combat your stress in the best ways you know how, and let this be a reminder that you are more than your grades, and you will most likely perform better when you take care of yourself.
