At the end of the semester, stress happens. Assignments and homework and tests and papers just keep piling up all at once, creating a mountain-sized obstacle between you and summer vacation. When your to-do list is long and your motivation is nonexistent, it’s easy to feel so overwhelmed that you don’t know how you’re ever going to get anything done.
When this happens, there are a few things you can do to reset your brain and get to work again.
1. Take a nap.
You might think this is counter-productive, but hear me out. Studies show when you’re tired, your brain actually slows down. So studying while tired actually wastes more time than it’s worth. Just a 20-minute nap is enough to recharge your brain and give you a little boost of motivation. So, it’s worth it to take a break, and when you wake up, you can start anew.
2. Change/clean your study space.
If you’ve been sitting at the same desk staring at the same notes for hours upon hours, you can start to lose focus. Whether you get distracted or the stuff in front of you just becomes meaningless from so much staring, you might hit a slump in your studying.
A way to fix this is to change your surroundings. If you’re in the library, move to the other side of the table, or even a different table altogether. Rearrange your notes. Make your workspace look as neat as you wish your life could be. Anything to reset your thought processes and give you a new perspective!
3. Eat something.
When you’ve been in the library for three hours already and you’re almost done reading that chapter or writing your paper, you might skip a meal or put it off until you finish your work. This is not a great plan. Like a lack of sleep, hunger makes your brain slow down; plus, it can be really distracting. If you’ve downed several cups of coffee and are trying to study on an empty stomach, you’re doing more harm than good. When you put your physical health before studying, you’d be surprised how much more focused you are and how much more you get done!
4. Breathe.
While stress can sometimes be inevitable, you don’t have to let it overwhelm you. While it’s easy to get caught up in all of the assignments you have due and how many of them you haven’t done, letting yourself start to panic about it doesn’t do you any favors.
Take a step back. Look at all the things you have to do from an objective point of view, and find a way of looking at it that makes it seem doable. If you like to make lists, make detailed ones, where you can cross off every little thing. This will give you momentum and the confidence to keep going. If you’re not a list-maker, try other means of calming yourself down. Look at scriptures that focus on God’s peace, so you can find the strength to keep going!
The most important thing to remember when you’re stressed is that it’s temporary. You’re putting yourself through this for a reason—you’ve got dreams you’re going to accomplish, and all these seemingly pointless assignments are just steps along the way. So, do whatever it takes to get through it—whether it’s taking scheduled naps throughout the day, or something as ridiculous as switching tables in the library every hour. You’ll eventually get over your mountain of responsibilities and get to enjoy things again. And when you get your dream job, it will all be worth it!
