It's midterms here at Hopkins, and literally everyone is feeling varying types of stress. It's interesting to see how some people de-stress (lots of coffee, lots of weird aerobics in the library, random episodes of "Friends" during study breaks), yet it's hard to de-stress unless you actually know that you're stressed. I tend to not realize that I'm stressed until the very last minute, so there are a couple little signs to pick up ahead of time before it gets too bad.
1. You consider class a break from studying.
Yes, this is something I actually thought about while walking to class this morning. Class is a good time to step away from the textbooks and the notes to go and shove more information into your brain. But don't worry, I'm not absorbing any of it because this midterm isn't until next week, and I have two this week that take priority.
2. Meals aren't a break.
Around this time we begin to see more and more people doing homework in the cafe and more and more takeout boxes being snuck into the library. Meals are no longer an opportunity to socialize. Instead, they're now a way to sneak yourself an additional 15-20 minutes of studying!
3. Sleeping in the library seems like a good option.
This has happened to me on multiple occasions. I'm sitting in the library, and I glance at the clock. It's suddenly 2:30 a.m. I'm exhausted, but a quick 15-minute nap seems like a good idea. And the carpet looks really comfortable. Like, really comfortable.
4. Caffeine runs through your veins.
"If I get a solid B on this exam, it'll be worth the collective 10 hours of sleep I've gotten this week." It's a good thing coffee exists, am I right?
5. Your "laundry hamper" is essentially 85 percent of your floor.
It's so incredibly hard to keep your room clean when you're already keeping your body clean and your studying in check. You'll often find yourself in a hurry to throw some clothes on in the morning ('cause you slept in just like you thought you would), or you're too tired at 4:26 in the morning to actually put your clothes where they belong. It's okay, we're all there.
6. Your wardrobe is actually just leggings and t-shirts.
Why try hard when you can just not? No one is gonna know that you actually slept in that shirt last night, or that you wore those leggings yesterday. It's okay, because all of us are doing it together. We can try again next week, collectively. Maybe.
7. The gym and calories don't exist.
Everyone knows that calories are just tiny creatures that sew your clothes tighter in your closet at night. They actually disappear during midterms. The gym also ceases to exist. So eating what you want need is okay, the calories aren't going to attack your clothes. The Freshman 15 doesn't exist (for now).
8. You lash out at your friends.
I feel bad for my friends. I invite them to study at Brody Learning Commons with me, and then I yell at them for singing Taylor Swift, "1989," of course. It's honestly a wonder that they even come with me anymore. Definitely a sign I need a break.
9. Fidgets happen (and they totally bother you).
There's always that one kid. That. One. Kid. With the pen. The friggin' pen. And it kills you slowly. You know exactly what I'm talking about. And that pen, you want to burn that pen.
10. Your family questions if you're alive
I've yet to return any of their calls. I feel bad, but if we think about this mathematically, each phone call with my mother takes about 30 minutes, and in those 30 minutes I could do approximately six to nine physics practice problems...yeah, my mom can wait.
11. Random crying is no longer random
Do you ever feel like you have no idea what the heck is going on and you just wanna roll on the floor of the common room and cry? Because that's literally me every day of midterms. Literally. I'm not even kidding.
Of course, the first step to change is acknowledging that you have a problem. The second step is fixing the problem, which you can check out how to do here.
Happy studying!
