The College Freshman’s Guide to Tough Weeks
It’s that time of year when all my classes are picking up and things are starting to pile up on one another. The beginning of this week happened to be particularly bad. I had a busy weekend, including helping put on a Super Bowl party, so I knew I wouldn’t have much time to prepare for the week ahead, which included a ton of reading, a presentation in Spanish, an essay, and the ever-dreaded chemistry exam. Throw on the fact that I’m fighting off a severe cold that seems to be circulating Vandy, and this week was looking quite disastrous.
Thankfully, however, it’s nearly Friday and I’ve successfully survived! Here are a few tips that helped me through this week:
1.) Get sleep
-There’s nothing worse than having to struggle to stay awake through a tough week. So I’d definitely recommend finding time to sleep, even it means getting behind on a few things—it’ll allow you to have a positive outlook throughout the week and stay focused.
2.) Work bit by bit
-Just focus on taking it a step at a time. Split things up into doable sizes, so you can feel like you’re getting something accomplished. If you look at everything you have to do, you might feel overwhelmed, so just take it one subject at a time.
3.) Snack well.
-Thankfully Common Grounds (aka the munchie) always has a great supply of fresh fruit—my personal study snack favorites are strawberries.
4.) Take breaks.
-I was feeling particularly stressed out Monday evening around midnight, but thankfully my friends came and visited and we had a brief, de-stress giggle fest. Sure, we probably sounded a little insane, but it was nice to just let all the frustration out.
5.) Stay calm and talk it out—you’re not alone.
-Don’t get overwhelmed. If you feel like you’ve hit a point where there’s no way you can get everything done, rant to someone. Step away from the situation for a minute, and take a deep breath. Then, remember that others are having the same stressful week too—and it’ll pass.
In the end, things generally work out. In my case, my Spanish presentation was moved without me even having to ask, and though the chemistry test definitely wasn’t fantastic I survived! It’s officially Friday, and my homework for this week is done. Now onto the next week—which also promises to be busy—but definitely survivable!