5 Tips for a Successful Semester

There is one universal truth that we will all experience throughout our college career: Life can be stressful. Especially with an average of 15-someodd units, a job, and trying to balance a social life on top of all that! From experience, this can definitely get a bit hectic. So here are some small tips that can help make for a happier, more productive and less stressful semester.

1. Find a creative outlet. You need some way to get your mind off of school every now and again. Find something that makes you happy, makes you laugh, or just take a deep breath. For some it is art, for others it could be journaling, or even meditating. For me, it is either curling up in my blanket and reading, or writing this blog. Find something that gets your mind completely away from what is stressing you out.

2. Get up, get out, get moving! Exercise and being outdoors is such a great way to relax your mind and help you refocus. You could try working out in the on-campus gym, or if that isn’t your scene, work out along with YouTube exercise Gu-Ru’s. Even if it is just taking a walk around the dorms when you feel like your eyes start going cross-eyed from studying haha. Do something to get the blood pumping and the endorphins flowing. In the words of Elle Woods (Legally Blonde actually does teach life/college lessons)

3. Plan Ahead! I did a whole post on time-management, IT IS ESSENTIAL PEOPLE! There is nothing that screams “stressed” more than not being sure what you need to do, forgetting deadlines, or cramming last minute because you didn’t make time. Save yourself a lot of trouble by just planning ahead and taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day, or just every week to make a study schedule or plan of attack.
                    

4. Get enough Z’s. I know personally one thing that can always make for a less than fun morning, or day, is when I am constantly yawning and counting down the minutes to when I can return to bed and go to sleep. So make sure you take enough time to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep each night. There are so many reasons why sleep is important, your health, being on top of your game and improving your retention, to name a few. So make sure you make sleep a priority. All-nighters don’t have to be an essential part of college, make them a rarity.

5. Remember that you need to put yourself first. (This is for all aspects of your life.) I met a lot of people who don’t remember that partying and hanging out all the time aren’t the most important things. While social interaction and being with friends is important, you need to prioritize and remember that partying vs. studying for an exam or doing your homework should be a no-brainer. Or, most commonly, your health. You just overall need to make sure that in the end you are acting in a way that will be beneficial for you in the long run, not just “fun” in the moment. I know I sound like a parent but this is something I have had to learn as well. Sometimes you have to make the less fun choices. As callous as it sounds, you will have to push distractions, and sometimes people, out of your path to success.

                             

I hope these tips helped a bit, and as always, good luck.

<3 Kimmie