How you should cope with a rough semester

We’re barely into the semester and things are already heating up. Deadlines to meet, places to check out, activities to do, and disappointments to face.

Spring semester my freshman year is something I don’t want to relive again. I tried out for a lot of extracurricular activities and didn’t get in. I was homesick, and as an introvert, I had only a few close friends, so, naturally, I didn’t find myself in a huge friend circle.

I coped with the mess in a less than ideal way, but I have learned better. So to all the current students, especially freshmen, a word from the not-so-wise on how you could cope.

Don’t skip meals

Food is something instinctual to human beings and should make you happy. If you become sick of the dining hall food, like I did, then there are tons of affordable, both on and off-campus, that offer other options.

Boston is quite the happening place for trying out new cuisines, so make the best of your college experience.

Don’t binge-eat

It’s pretty common for binge-eating and skipping meals to co-exist. While letting yourself go wild at Max Brenner’s for a night (or two) is perfectly fine, there really is no excuse for finishing a tub of ice cream or any other packaged food every day.

Even though the sugar and carbs may make you happy for the time being, it’s also going to make you regret your dietary choices (even if you’re the least body conscious person in the world). It will sap your appetite further and make you feel lethargic and tired.

The next time you feel like going for another tub or bag of packaged food for the third day in a row, stop. Wait a little. Ask yourself if you really need that instead of a proper meal. I began asking myself that question once I realized what was happening and I stopped thriving solely on what my micro-fridge provided.

Don’t spend all your time outside classes in your room

I wasted my time staying glued to my all time favorite game, Runescape (hit me up if you play). The game creators like to pretend that its entire player-base is comprised of ‘no-lifers,’ so trust me, you owe yourselves more than that.

It is completely natural to want to stay in your room with your online games or Netflix and ice cream, but there is a life outside of that.

You can take a walk down the Esplanade, watch a play on Boylston, find a bench and people-watch on Commonwealth Avenue, or maybe even go to the Museum of Fine Arts, which is free with your BU ID.

The online world is amazing, yes, but sometimes it is better to isolate yourself in the real world in order find your peace of mind than to surround yourself with online friends.

Don’t mess up your sleep cycle

It is truly liberating to be able to sleep and get up whenever you like. Sure, going to sleep at 4 a.m. and waking up at 2 p.m. feels good.

But it stops feeling good when that’s what you end up doing every weekend.

Homework is a bore and life is a chore, but it’s unavoidable and that’s that. When I maintained such odd sleeping cycles, even ten hours of sleep wasn’t enough to clear my tiredness. When you stop appreciating, if not enjoying, what you’re learning, then that’s where the real loss of purpose and dissatisfaction kicks in.

You have years of college and work ahead of you, so make sure you don’t start hating something you voluntarily chose.

Don’t skip showers

Nope, definitely not pleased about this one. It’s unhygienic and will definitely not help your mood.

If nothing else, a daily shower at least makes you feel awake, refreshed and pumped. It will also make you feel good about yourself, trust me.

Besides, everyone knows, the shower is one of the best places to be creative. You can role play characters, comes up with fan theories, imaginary conversations you will never have, and even sing ‘Let it Go’ and play soundtracks in your head. It will definitely makes you feel a bit more accepting of the fact that your alarm rang that morning.

Reach out

I reached out to my family a lot, but your family can only help you so much when they’re timezones away.

I probably will never be assertive or confident enough to just confess to my friends when I don’t feel good, but I can try. Sometimes, just having someone listen to you is all you need.

Everyone has their own problems, but you deserve someone who is willing to listen to you when you’re at your lowest. Think of it this way: if your friend listens to you, then you can be sure you’ve found a great friend. If they don’t, well, you’re better off without that person anyway.

Feeling depressed, inadequate, unaccomplished, and then ‘coping’ with it through any of the above is a vicious cycle. I was upset with life and myself, so I’d lock myself away. I knew I was just hiding from real life and that would make me even more upset. The more upset I became, the more I played online games and closed myself off.

You could be fully aware of all this and still feel like you don’t have the willpower to change anything. But it is the tiniest, everyday aspects of our lives which are affected the most, and it requires the smallest amount of effort and willpower to change them.

I am stronger than I knew, and so are you. College does not need to be an entirely hellish experience. There is so much to enjoy, so get out there and have fun.