We've hit the point in the semester where everyone is ready for a break, but there isn't anything coming up soon enough, and the classwork really starts to pile on. This point in time, college students not only are behind and tired, but they also tend to be getting sick. During this time, there's one thing all college students need to hear: take care of yourself. Everything else will work out by the end of the semester.
First, you can do this. You've survived fall semester before. Every year, at about this time, you can hear from students all over campus that they're ready for winter break. Yet every year, no one is prepared for the mid-semester slump. The semester always ends, sometimes sooner than it seems that it should, and we do it all again spring semester.
It's okay to say no. There are so many things that people want from you throughout the semester, and some of them you may or may not actually want to do. It's important to put your needs first, and one of those ways is to say no if whatever someone needs from you doesn't work for your schedule or for your stress level.
Even if you want to do what you're being asked to do, sometimes you have to say no. There will be other opportunities to help others or pick up new responsibilities, and sometimes it's better to make big schedule changes at the beginning or end of the semester instead of the middle. The current obligations you have, including classes, aren't going to go away in the middle of the semester, and if you're already stressed, adding another thing on isn't going to make your semester any less stressful.
Stay on top of things. Even though it's important to take time for yourself, you can't just stop doing everything. If you keep working on assignments and stay on top of work as much as you can, then the end of the semester won't be as intense. It's always a good thing to try and work ahead, and make sure that you don't see deadlines as the time that you should be starting big assignments.
It's never too late in the semester to make changes to the way you study. Even though everyone says that they'll make changes next semester, that doesn't happen. There are also plenty of changes that could be made now in order to make the semester go easier. Re-open your planner if it's been set aside or bring back the study plan that you told yourself you would follow.
Keep going to class, no matter how hard the semester gets. While skipping class sometime is okay, once you start not going to class, you'll want to keep skipping. If you keep attending class, then you don't have to go over the material again on your own, and you won't be surprised by anything that is said in class that wasn't written down. Also, if your professors know who you are and that you've been attending class, they are more willing to work with you because they can see the effort that you're putting it and that you care about the class, more than just when your grade depends on it.
The end of the semester feels really far away, but it isn't. This is a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time. When you're scheduling classes, you're already thinking about spring semester and trying to organize that, don't overlook the fact there are still things that need to be done for this year. Don't get so ready to be done with classes that you can't successfully finish out this semester, but don't be unprepared with how close the semester is to being over.
Let some things go, especially if it will make you happier no longer doing them. Whether you need to drop a responsibility, or you just need to let go of a negative interaction, holding on to things that are making you feel negative aren't going to improve your mood or semester. It's important to make sure that you're not putting more stress on yourself over something that you don't necessarily have to keep doing.
Also, don't stress over things you can't control. You can't force other people to do things the way that you want them done, and you can't make everything go perfectly your way. Instead of worrying about all of the things that could go wrong or aren't going perfectly, try and see the positive. It's important to make sure that you can find the positive in things that are happening, especially if you're feeling like everything is going wrong. If it's not, just try and look at it in a different way.
Most importantly, follow the advice you're giving others. It's so easy to tell other people to work on stuff, prioritize things the way you need to, let go of things, and most importantly, to not be stressed. Everyone is willing to tell you these things, but it's important that you tell yourself these things and believe them.
College is a huge time commitment. Students get so involved in so many things, and they all ask for a ton of time. Take a minute for yourself. You'll survive the semester. Most importantly, don't get too overwhelmed that you can't take care of the things that absolutely need to get done. Winter break will be here sooner than you think, and you'll get to take the well-deserved break and get some rest.
