I don’t know about y’all but this is the time in the semester when I am absolutely exhausted. I’m managing my schedule for next year to make sure I have the right credits to graduate (damn you science credit), trying to find an apartment, worrying about internships offers, applying for leadership positions on campus, and then there are those darn classes that are always getting in the way of college life. Tests, readings, papers, rewriting those papers. Just thinking about all the stuff on my plate makes my brain ache. Ugh.

However, there are still several weeks left in the semester and so giving up now just isn’t an option. So I’ve been looking for ways to keep myself motivated and energized through this last big push of the semester, and I’ve found a few interesting tips to help those of us who feel the weight of the semester crashing down on our shoulders.

One good thing to do is to identify the things in your routine that are bringing you down and sucking out all of your energy. Here are a few examples.

• According to a Psychology Daily article, tight clothes can actually be an energy zapper. News to me, but here’s what the article said about why tight clothes are such an energy zapper: “Because tight clothing restricts normal breathing, which reduces the amount of oxygen that travels to our brains and muscles. Because oxygen invigorates our cells, the less oxygen they get, the more tired we feel.”
• Clutter always makes me feel more tired. Just having to look at a messy room or desk drives me nuts. I usually do a quick pickup of out-of-place items and return them to their proper places before I can start my work. A cleaner work space just makes me feel like I’ve also cleared out room in my mind to think about the tasks ahead.
• You may not notice it, but sometimes the people we hang around can bring us down due to their constant negative attitudes. If you realize that this is happening to you, take a step back and spend some more time with other people or even by yourself. Just getting away from a negative atmosphere will revitalize you.
• Bad food habits are a major cause of energy zappage (that is a word). Every now and then, sweets are good to treat yourself to after a hard day. However, for the most part, you should try to limit yourself. Junk food can just make your body and mind feel sluggish. Eat a healthy alternative like fruit or yogurt. Sure, it’s not chocolate, but at least it’s sweet. 

Sean mentioned a few weeks how we should all create an ego-boosting folder that contains stuff that we’ve accomplished so we can look at it when we’ve had a particularly bad day. This idea is awesome, and I’ve actually modified it to fit as an energy-booster. Sometimes after I’ve had just an absolutely draining day, I like to watch a few of my favorite YouTube videos to make me smile. If I can laugh, even after a hard day, I always feel reenergized. My happy folder (for the lack of a better term) has videos of adorable animal pals, dance-a-rific music videos, and certain singing wizards.

Although this may seem counterintuitive at first, exercising can definitely give you the burst of energy you need to get you through. I’m definitely worn out after I work out, but for the rest of the day I always feel really good about myself and it helps me pull through rewriting that draft of my research paper. You won’t need to do a full-blown work out either. Even just going for a walk in the sun around campus can help out. Any physical activity you do is better than doing nothing.

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