We should be getting back from spring break right about now. Whether you would have spent it soaking up the sun, relaxing at home or making some extra money, you missed something important. That hiatus can make or break your semester by giving you a chance to recharge, refocus and recommit to the goals. But due to obvious yet still ridiculous reasons, we lost that crucial time this year. And it’s taking its toll.

At the start of the semester, I made a few changes to set myself up for success. I deleted social media because I spent too much time staring into it with no benefit. I altered my sleep schedule to sleep by midnight and wake up before 8 a.m. so I could be productive before noon. I committed to studying outside my apartment like the Student Innovation Center or Parks Library because I know I get easily distracted inside my own place. And finally, I got back into a better workout schedule instead of doing whatever felt easiest that day. 

It all felt great at first. I was waking up with plenty of energy and getting a week’s worth of work done for a class before noon on Monday. My grades were starting off better than any previous semester, and I finally felt like an actual student. The constant urge to grab my phone began to fade, and my screen time dropped by two hours. My workouts felt productive. I knew I was doing better, and that made me feel better in general. 

But it began to fade.

I couldn’t tell you when it happened, but it all started to slip back. One day, I heard about something interesting that happened and signed into Twitter on my phone’s web browser to see what was up. It wasn’t the app, I told myself, just a single instance. But the browser remembered my login, and I found myself checking the browser as much as I had been checking the app. 

Next, the sleep schedule started to go. Whether I had to stay up to meet a deadline or was just playing Xbox to reward myself for a week of hard work, I was going to bed later, which caused me to wake up later. And when I did wake up, I was sluggish, slow to get out of bed. I lost productive hours of my day, and suddenly, Monday’s work was pushed to Tuesday. 

Soon, I told myself that I didn’t need to leave to study because it was cold out, even though I had started all of this in the middle of January. I started doing my readings and discussion posts from my apartment where there’s countless opportunities for procrastination. Eventually, I did an entire week of school from my bedroom, just streaming classes. 

I felt it all slipping, and my mood slipped with it. I felt tired and less present. 

Normally, a holiday or spring break would give us a halfway mark to evaluate where we are at and how we are feeling. But in our current situation, we must find another way. 

I have used a couple days on some weekends to try and step back to see where I was at. It helped me recognize where I was falling behind and make small adjustments to get closer to where I was. 

I do not have a perfect fix for this feeling, the feeling of eight weeks of never-ending work. But I was able to find some tips on fighting burnout. Some are aimed at those in the workforce that can easily be applied to school life. 

Just know that it is normal to feel like you are running out of gas and that people around you probably feel the same. As long as you acknowledge it and try, you can take some steps toward feeling better.