It's November. Thanksgiving break is right around the corner. If you're anything like me, you're exhausted, tired of dining hall food, and are over having a community bathroom. You might be homesick, stressed about finances, or stuck with a terrible cold. You might be overwhelmed with projects or papers. Motivation is running low.
Maybe you're some combination of these. I know I am. If you're struggling to kick the semester blues, I'm with you all the way. It's week ten, and I'm still struggling to find a loan to go to school next semester (don't even get me started). I think I have five papers do this week. I miss my dog. I'm at the point where I'd rather eat a box of granola bars than go to the dining hall for the same boring meals.
It's not easy kicking the blues; it's so easy to get sucked into a meaningless routine -- wake up, go to class, do homework, eat crappy food, go to sleep. I've been there. It's an awful way to go through life. It makes it hard to get things done; you don't really want to do anything.
My sister recently tagged me in a post on Facebook that went a little something like this:
"You've gotta start romanticizing your life. You gotta start believing your morning commute is cute and fun, that every cup of coffee is the best you've ever had, that even the smallest and most mundane things are exciting and new...that's when you look forward to every day."
Just as a disclaimer, I can't promise this will work, but once I started appreciating the little things in life -- a good cup of coffee, a nice breakfast on the weekend, a playlist to put you in a good mood, surrounding myself with great people, I noticed that things started to change, I started having a more positive outlook on life.
But when I don't have that outlook, here are some things to help:
Make your bed
I kind of go a bit over the top with this, but I make my bed every darn day. I tell all my friends to do it. I make a point in making my bed look nice. There's really nothing better than crawling in a nicely made bed after a long day. My roommate did this last year, and I adopted the habit from her.
Cleaning
in general, is a really good thing to do. It helps you feel in control and, since it's flu season, it keeps you healthy. And also having a clean space, like a desk, keeps your thoughts quite literally less cluttered. I noticed that my thoughts aren't as jumbled when things are tidy.
If your friends invite you out to a sports event, go with them.
There's nothing wrong with taking a homework break to go cheer on your team. It's fun, even if it's freezing. I guarantee you'll feel a lot better once you've gone out and done something different.
Call your parents, or your high school best friend if you don't see them, try doing homework at the library with friends. It's hard when you find yourself stuck in your dorm the entire semester, but doing little things to switch up your routine will make the biggest difference.
I'm thankful I have a best friend on campus that lives in the dorm behind mine. We have breakfast and dinner together, we make dates to watch This Is Us or Criminal Minds, we go to the library and complain about homework, we write together.
Thanksgiving break is right around the corner, and then it's only a few short weeks after that before winter break. It's time to hammer down, friends; start implementing good habits and self-care, and you'll be on your way to a healthier and happier end of the semester.
