I Finished Midterms. Now What?
Your feet are heavier. The days are longer. More time is spent staring at homework than finishing assignments. You know the feeling. Call it what you want, mid-semester slump, wintertime blues. All I know is it feels pretty bad when you’re in the thick of it.
I know, I know. You’ve heard it all before: get some sleep, take a bubble bath, treat yourself to a good cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks. These are good, but fleeting. Chocolate can only go so far when papers and projects are looming, but winter break seems way out of reach. You have to take steps to get serious about your mental (and physical) health during the cold months that we’re starting to feel.
If you’re goal-oriented like me, it’s really helpful to factor in time for something that involves no stress and you don’t have to feel guilty about. For me, it’s reading Vogue every Sunday morning. It keeps me from feeling like I should spend that time doing schoolwork or planning for classes. I try to keep my mind from straying to the upcoming week by focusing all of my attention on what Meryl Streep wore to the Oscars.
If you’re looking for a self-care hobby, there are many opportunities to choose from in our community. In my time at Arcadia, I’ve taken up a few. There are numerous pianos on campus open to students— whether you’re a Music minor or you can pluck a couple of tunes. Making music has always been a calming activity for me.
If you’re committed to learning something new, you don’t have to go far. Stitcher’s Dream (221 S. Easton Road, Glenside) is an excellent small business that I happened upon my first semester while walking to the train station. The quaint, cream house is, as the name describes, a very happy place for anyone who wants to work with textiles. There are sewing, knitting, and crocheting classes for very reasonable prices. This is the perfect place to spend a weekday afternoon, chatting with the other students and practicing a skill.
Another thing that really helps me is being prepared for the weather. I cannot stress this enough.
Come armed with a coat, gloves, hat, umbrella, boots, all of it! Especially when the snow sets in—nothing can turn a good day into a miserable one quicker than being forced to sit through six hours of classes damp.
On those cold days, take advantage of Arcadia’s infrastructure. If you’re walking to your 8:30 in Easton, enter through the walkway that leads to the 3rd floor of Brubaker or make your way via the Chat to avoid extraneous time in the cold. And while you’re there, who knows, maybe a cup of hot chocolate wouldn’t be so bad.
