The last few weeks of the semester are brutal. College students—with an already busy schedule—all of the sudden get final projects, papers, and exams crammed onto their list of things to worry about. If you’re as good with time management as me (very bad), then this time period will undoubtedly take a hefty toll on your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Now I got solid grades this past semester; but, honestly, I’d rather never talk or think about the stress I endured late November and early December. Instead, I will talk about how I’ve brought my body back to normalcy over winter break so far.
Someone once told me that it takes your body a full month to recover from pulling an all-nighter. It hasn’t quite been that long since finals week, but I’ve taken the measures necessary to recuperate. By that I mean I’ve been getting at least twelve hours of sleep every night and taking frequent naps throughout the day. I had almost forgotten how beautiful it was to fall asleep knowing that the next day I didn’t need to take an exam or write a research paper. Sure, maybe I haven’t accomplished a lot recently, but a break from being constantly productive is healthy.
My nutrition really suffered during finals week. Making the long walk (five minutes) from my apartment to the dining hall in freezing temperatures seemed like waste of time while I was trying to study or get something done, so I skipped some meals. Coffee and pretzels became staples in my diet. Coffee kept me awake, and pretzels kept my stomach from feeling too distressed.
Needless to say, I came home with quite an appetite after finals, and there’s no better way to fight off hunger than by devouring some home-cooked meals. Steak, potatoes, burgers, green beans, corn bread, all played an important role in making me feel like a normal person again this break (shout-out to Mom).
Unfortunately, my gluttonous and lethargic days are nearing an end as Jan Term starts up next week. However, these past several weeks have rejuvenated me, and I’m ready to get back to having some fun, productive times on the Hill.
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