Now is the beginning of a new semester, so that means more work and new work. This week I am just going to write about new semesters. This is for anyone who might feel overwhelmed or is afraid they could be overwhelmed. Going into a new semester is tough, so I will just write about coping, dealing with future and present anxiety, and a couple other things in this article.

This week for most people was just syllabus week, but many of us also got packets and reading assignments thrown at them. This is probably more common for history, English, sociology, and psych majors and minors. This can be an overwhelming process, even for readers, because you have to read to retain information, not just for pleasure. If you feel overwhelmed and anxious with all of the reading assignments, I may have one tip. Keep an planner and write down what day you’re going to read what, and sometimes choosing a time can help too. Don’t wait to pile on every reading piece in one night because it will blow up into your face, then you won’t retain most of what you’ve read. Last semester I tried doing that and I’ve never seen so many horrible grade.

With the risk of grades being good or bad from the workload, a piece of advice I was too stubborn to take from my father was to not take on too much. If you’re in a class that doesn’t feel right the first week or know you need to drop one, it’s okay to drop it and think of resisting certain classes in the future. Taking too many classes is not worth it if you’re not passing or barely passing. You want to be successful with grades and your own mental health.

Most teachers won’t tell you that mental health is an important part of taking classes, but it really is. If you’re overwhelmed to point of high anxiety or feeling depressed, you won’t do well. Your mental health should come first during the semester. Yes, you should work hard, but you should make sure you’re not overwhelming yourself with too much anxiety. Do things for you. Letting yourself see friends, family, and have fun is essential to happiness. Take walks outside and let the sun hit your skin. Don’t ditch your life just for the books. You need to do what you need to do for you, because if you lose yourself to school and let your mental health slide, then not only will your grades suffer, but you will also suffer too.

Taking care of yourself is very important while being in school. If you or somebody you know ever has a hard semester, remember it’s okay to need friends, your advisors advice, family, or anybody to talk to. It’s also okay to drop something if you can’t handle it, but also remember to manage your time with other classes while also giving yourself you time. Give yourself moments of peace because school can be hard, but it shouldn’t be too hard on the mind. I wrote this after I had a rough semester last semester, and I hope that this can help anybody out that could need it for this semester or the future.