Midterm season is in full swing and it’s really easy to lose steam. Motivation can be hard to come by this time of year for some, as classes have picked up in speed and the work loads for courses are fairly heavy.

When this time of year rolls around, it’s important to take care of your mental health and make sure you are tending to those needs in order to continue striving academically.

Sometimes the best way to unwind and refocus is to take a break. When I find myself struggling, I like to treat myself. Some of these treats can be as simple as going out for a walk, putting on your favorite song and dancing it out, or even just indulging yourself in an excessive amount of ice cream.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed as the stress of grades is a constant reminder that you always have something to get done. When I’m overwhelmed and stressing about my grades, rather than working myself into the ground, I like to write in a journal. Sometimes just letting the pen flow across the page to unleash all of your thoughts is the best way to get them out and leave space for what you’re learning. Without journaling I find myself bottling up all of my thoughts to the point where I can no longer process. Don’t be a zombie. Letting it out is an easy way to clear up your mind which makes it much easier to focus on school.

You can never go wrong with ice cream. Reward yourself for your triumphs. Regenerate your energy after a failure. Ice cream is always a solution. Indulge a little, or a lot, no judgements here.

Ollie’s Frozen Custard, 2290 Oakland Dr, has many quality flavors and loads of variety that will be sure to remind you that you can do this! My freezer is always stocked with Halo Top ice cream. Halo Top is low calorie and delicious and never fails to reestablish some of my motivation.

Music is always a good idea, whether you need to release some negative energy or just jam out to your favorite song to get you back on track. When we start to feel mentally-fried as students, listening to music can be a painless way to take a quick break.

Whenever I am struggling to focus on an assignment I go on Youtube. Search “music to read to” or “music to study to” and you will definitely find something that gets you going.

My go to all semester has been “Reading Music to Concentrate | Ambient Study Music | Atmospheric Music for Studying, Concentration” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6wFBVk4uGQ&t=9893s.

Now if you need something fast and fun to free your mind for a quick break I’d have to suggest any song by Flume ever. Whenever I play a song I can’t help but dance and sometimes stepping away from the books for three minutes and letting your body move freely is the best kind of energy booster.

Maybe you’re struggling to keep your focus and really just need to remind yourself that it will be worth it. Go out and take a walk, observe the world around you and think about what led you here. Look at the nature, take in all of it’s beauty and breathe in some fresh air. It always helps to feel free in the open for a little while when you’ve been sitting at a desk grinding all day. I like to walk around campus and watch the rest of the world in motion. Going to a forest preserve can prove very relaxing. There are several forest preserves in the DeKalb area and whichever one you choose to visit will help you let go some of that stress.

No matter where you are in your classes or how you feel you’ve been doing, it’s extremely important to take care of yourself. When we let ourselves get overwhelmed, it’s so easy to forget about our own needs. Don’t drive yourself crazy in the panic of midterm season, just take a step back and treat yourself.