We all know that feeling when the warmth of spring seems to call your name as you sit in a particularly dry lecture class. You can imagine what the sweet spring breeze would feel like against your skin as your butt begins to mold into that sad, plastic excuse for a chair. You're starting to wonder why you should go to that 10:30 a.m. class as you see the blossoms waking up to wish you a good day.
Before you get ahead of yourself, let me remind you that you are so close. The end of the year is running to meet you, so dig deep inside yourself and find that feeble speck of motivation still dwelling inside you. You have made it this far in the race, and you can finally see that finish line, so why should you give up when you can almost taste the victory of summer? With these simple tips, you can make it to that finish line.
Take your school work outside
The sun is finally out! If you are complaining about school work and how you wish it was summer, take a moment to quiet the negativity and go sit in some grass or by a river. Maybe try explaining quantum mechanics to the plants, they're great listeners.
Make a summer bucket list.
Instead of letting your daydreaming of tanner skin, sun-kissed hair, and a brighter mood ruin your day, make a list of things you hope to accomplish next summer. That way, you are channeling your negativity into a list of things to look forward to. By writing them down on paper, it will help remove them from your mind and give them a new place to live.
Take your time walking to class
A tip for spending more time outside is giving yourself an extra 10 or 20 minutes to walk to your class. That way you can give yourself more time to soak up the beauty of nature waking up.
Set yourself up for success
Instead of letting yourself fall into that dark hole of sweat pants and oversized, middle school t-shirts, put some effort into your appearance and make a lasting impression before you leave! You might even get those digits from that hotty in your class. Now that's something to add to your list of things to look forward to this summer.
Dress like it's summer
I've found that at this time of year if I start to wear more "summery" clothes, it almost tricks my mind into believing that summer is already here. By showing a little more skin, I get to feel the sun, feel the warm breeze, and not feel so weighed down by my winter attire.
Prioritise your school work before your play.
To prioritize my school work, but still allow myself time to go outside, I like to set small goals for myself. I make a to-do list of things I have to accomplish, and once I have accomplished those to do items, I reward myself by going outside. This always pushed me to finish my work quicker and leaves me feeling satisfied with my hard work.
Make a pre-summer to do list.
Instead of getting overwhelmed by all of the things you have to accomplish by the end of the year, write them all down in a list format. Once you have them on a list, grab a calendar and transfer the items from your big to-do list to smaller ones on specific days. That way, you can once again free your mind of anxiety, but also see how attainable accomplishing your workload is.
Find your purpose
Making goals gives us purpose. If we make some goals for ourselves to accomplish by the end of the year, it gives us something to focus on instead of how much we don't want to be in school. Sometimes just finishing the semester doesn't give us a strong enough purpose, so specify what you want your purpose for the end of the year to be. Maybe it's acing your finals, or getting an A in a challenging class.
Find support from other students
If you are feeling stir crazy and unmotivated at this time of the year, chances are, there are others who feel this way. Reach out to your friends and ask them if they want to study by the river, or go on a walk to destress from the studying. Support is key in not going crazy.
Press the restart button and reintegrate old routines
The last tip I have for you is to press the restart button and remember how you motivated yourself at the beginning of the year. Maybe you were waking up earlier, or you were making your bed right after waking up, or you were getting breakfast before your 9 am. Whatever your routine looked like at the beginning of the year, come back to it. This might give you the extra push you need to finish the race strong.