October 27, 2023/12a  

It’s that time of year where everything comes due. That class you’re really struggling with just seems more overwhelming than ever. You cancel the plans to hang out with your friends this weekend because there is just too much to do. That professor still just hasn’t given you a grade for that one assignment you worked so hard on. 

Life seems to just keep coming without slowing down. So, what do you do? Do you power through and hope the other side isn’t too far away? Do you just scrape by? 

I’m not sure what the answer is, I don’t think I even have one for myself. What I can tell you is that every student sitting in your classes with you feels the same pressure.  

I know what you’re thinking, why should I care that everyone else is feeling the same? To be honest that’s what runs through my mind. I’m not everyone else. I’m just me, trying to focus on my work and get through my semester.  

While that is all well in good, it’s time to check in with your friends and your classmates who may be stuck in the same space as you.  

Have a group project? Check in with your group mates to make sure you’ve done everything to the best of your ability. 

Have so much to do, but don’t know where to start? Make a to-do list starting with what is due tomorrow. Then go on to the next day, and the next. Taking things, a step at a time may just help to take an overwhelming amount of work and turn it into something more manageable. 

On the other hand, do you have small side projects to do? Plan an afternoon on the weekend to get those monotonous tasks done and out of the way. Laundry? No problem, take it one load at a time. Dishes piling up? Take that five minutes and clean the items you need most.  

While organizing and prioritizing your time is well and good, getting the proper amount of sleep, and taking care of yourself will determine your success.  

Now this is hypocritical of me as I have often pulled the college student all-nighter for that project that seemed never-ending. So, feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt.  

My opinion is this; a college student deserves to rest their mind and their body as the stress of the second half of the semester becomes too much. While finding the time can be difficult, taking care of yourself whether that is simply prioritizing in a to-do list or taking an afternoon off to collect yourself, the time for you is necessary. 

The stress, anxiety, and overwhelming aspects of this time of year for students can be suffocating. Fitting time into busy schedules for relaxing is difficult. To overcome the second-half blues we (the students and faculty of Gannon) should find ways to support one another and check-in to make sure our well-being is a priority.