The spring semester in college is riddled with stress and anxiety. You have fewer breaks to look forward to, and you’re striving to finish the school year right. What can you do to handle the pressure and stay productive? Read on to learn how to conquer spring semester stress.
Start Early
You just came back from winter break, and you’re probably feeling unmotivated. Nevertheless, it’s important to start your school work as early as possible. Look over the syllabus and start preparing for weeks to come. Read through chapters for upcoming lessons, and start researching for big projects.
The reason why this is so important during the spring semester is because you don’t get much time off. Inevitably, you’re going to get burnt out. If you spread your work over a longer stretch of time, you can be as productive as possible in this less-than-ideal scenario.
New Semester, New You
If your winter semester was a bit of a flop, don’t let that discourage you. Don’t approach this semester trying to make up for the last one. Instead, just focus on doing your best with the classes you’re taking now. It may not be a new school year, but it is a new year altogether. Go through each of your classes with a “new me” mentality, and tackle whatever challenges come your way.
Keep Your Standards High
Don’t let your standards slack because the school year is almost over. This is when regrets form. “I wish I had just worked a little bit harder.” The lackluster effort you put in now may cause you to retake a course, or finish the year just a few credits shy of your degree. Don’t let the stress of today lead to more stress in the future. Instead, focus on finding solutions that will keep your overall stress to a minimum.
Find Time Management Solutions That Work for You
Time management and stress management go hand-in-hand. If you can manage your time effectively, you will feel more empowered to accomplish your goals. We already mentioned the need to start your school work early, but you also need to find a time management solution that works for you. This may be a daily planner that you write your schedule in, or it could be a digital calendar on your phone. Perhaps you’re a person who loves writing tasks on sticky notes so you can throw them away victoriously upon completion. When you have a system that works, you can use it again and again.
Be Aware of Your Mental Health
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If spring semester stress has you riddled with anxiety, talk to someone about it. This is no different than seeing a doctor when you have a cold. Your therapist can point you to personalized solutions for your stress, anxiety, depression and more. You can find a healthy balance in your school life and personal life, and you can learn how to manage stress before it becomes a long-term problem.
Therapy is more affordable than you think. Contact Sherman Counseling at 920-733-2065 to learn more about individual counseling and what it can do for you.
