3 Ways To Stave Off The Stress This Semester

I don't know about you, but this has been an overwhelming semester. And it's barely even half through! Between lab reports, friend drama, PHYSICS 2, and more lab reports, I'm only just getting by. Surely I'm not the only one, so I want to share some things I do to get into a better state of mind.

1. Sleep

This should be obvious, but it's not. Sometimes I forget that I am a human being who requires sleep to survive and function. I was signed up for the IEEE Xtreme 24-Hour programming competition this weekend, which I ended up missing... But imagine if I had stayed up for 24 hours straight! I'd be even more dead than I am now. Humans need sleep, so use your weekends to catch up. You'll regret not doing so on Monday.

2. Friends

And I don't mean the TV show: you gotta get out of your room and socialize. Even though friend-drama can be a pain, friends are so important. Upperclassmen friends (in your major) are amazing because they can help you with what classes you're going through right now, and they're proof that you can make it out of this semester alive! And friends that are in your grade and classes can be equally awesome because y'all can struggle together, the best way to make friends. And even if your friends aren't in your major, they still can be a wonderful source of support.

3. Procrastination

Perhaps you were wondering why I'm writing the first article I've written since May. And I'll tell you why! Because I'm procrastinating studying for my physics test. Hey! I never said this article had good advice! 😉 But seriously, sometimes you just need to chill out and focus on something else for a little while. Read a book. Take a walk. Revel in the fact that the weather seems to finally be cooling off (at least where I live)!

Don't forget: you have limits and that's okay. Taking on everything and pretending like you can handle it all will only hurt you. If you need to say no to an invite, that's perfectly fine. Sometimes we have to take a breather.