You are tired and burned out. You are trying not to spontaneously combust. You can't relax. You start eating more junk food than usual. The bags and dark circles start forming around the eyes. You start to question your life decisions and if you picked the right major or not. You then start to question your sanity.
We have all heard of a mid-life crisis, right? People generally get them when they are older. I am only 19 years old and am too young to be having a mid-life crisis. I then figured out what I was going through. I have realized that I am having a mid-semester crisis.
What is a mid-semester crisis? It's the many struggles that come with the first 8 weeks of papers, tests, professors' expectations from you, and a whole bunch of pressure to keep up with your social life. The procrastination is at an unimaginable level. When mid-terms came around, I had a million tests in one week like many of my friends. The energy level of everyone around me started to drop. Everyone's main goal was to make it to fall break without spontaneously combusting. It is hard to stay motivated once you realize that there are still 8 weeks left in the semester. Fall break is something to look forward to, but that will go by too quickly. It won't be enough to get your sanity back.
You have to be able to organize yourself so that you can get your sanity back and finish the semester strong. Stop procrastinating and stop thinking that the professors are conspiring against you. You need to prioritize and organize. Make a list and that will help you get stuff done.
Do something that will keep you sane. Some people like to exercise to get rid of stress. Do something you like so that your stress level is not insanely high. Do not take it out of your schedule because you think that will help save time. You need to save your sanity first.
Be sure to take little breaks when you study. Don't overwhelm yourself. If you are studying for a test or writing a paper take a break and eat or go do some laundry. Little distractions help, but don't let it get to the point of extreme procrastination. Your brain just needs a small break.
Understand that you are only human and cannot do everything that the world throws at you. You have limits--and that's where the prioritizing comes in. Trying to do everything that everyone expects of you will only cause you to lose energy and become extremely exhausted.
We all just need to relax. It is easier said than done, but you just need to try. It will benefit your physical and mental health. This mid-semester crisis is only temporary. You can help to alleviate it by being organized, de-stressing and relaxing. You will survive this!
