By: Nokomis Bramantecohen, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Well-Being Leader

Introduction:

During our time living in New England the temperature drops and our world becomes quieter and darker. Because of this, it becomes easier to slip into habits that may make you feel drained, unmotivated and/or isolated… it might make the simplest of tasks feel the most heaviest. This is why the winter season is one of the most important seasons to practice and focus on intentional self care. 

Taking care of yourself in the winter isn’t just about staying warm, although it is a big part of it, it is also about supporting your body, mind, and spirit! Making sure to keep your immune system strong and healthy, managing the seasonal depression, and finding the little bits of joy through the cold and dull days. Below I have put together a list of helpful tips and tricks to navigate the season with more comfort, warmth, and groundfulness. 

Tend to Your Physical Well-Being: 

• Bundle Up: Seriously! New England winters don’t play around! I always remember my parents and teachers telling me to wear a bunch of layers when I was a kid and I didn’t want to listen to them. But now I find myself telling my friends, peers, and kids to bundle up and wear thermals, a heavy coat, hats, gloves, scarves, and layers in general! It’s best to keep the head and feet especially warm because that is where the most heat is lost! 
• Warm Meals and Drinks: Drinking hot beverages like tea, hot chocolate, lemon water, and other warm fluids helps regulate the body’s temperature and soothe the through. You can also consume cozy foods too like soups, stews, oatmeal, and other foods like that to help maintain energy for the body to stay warm 
• Warm Baths and Moisturizer: Partaking in a warm bath or shower can soothe tight muscles and help your body relax through all of the cold days! Make sure to follow up with moisturizing and hydrating your skin with some moisturizer after the well deserved long shower!

Protect Yourself During Cold and Flu Season  

• Stay Bundled to Avoid Getting Run Down: Like I said before, make sure to stay bundled! Your body uses so much more energy to stay warm, and staying warm helps the immune system stay strong rather than receive constant chills. 
• Wash Your Hands Often: During the winter time there are more people inside. More people inside equals more germs shared on daily surfaces. Make sure to wash your hands frequently or even carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer with you! 
• Boost Immunity: Make sure to sleep well and get at least seven to eight hours of well rested sleep, along with drinking a lot of water to keep the body hydrated within the cold, and lastly remember to keep up with vitamins. These vitamins can be found in citrus, berries, greens, and soups packed with vegetables. 

Bring in the Light 

• Turn on the Lights Early: As the shorter days start to arrive it can throw off our energy levels! Make sure to turn on the lights as soon as you wake up either with a warm sunset lamp or the overhead, they both do the trick! Also make sure to turn on the lights during the evening as well. Once it hits 5 pm the sky starts to darken, so make sure to let the light in!
• Study in Third Spaces: If your room feels dark and/or inspiring, studying as places like the library, cafe, and/or the student lounge can help motivate yourself and others through the winter slump!
• Let Natural Light in: Even if it’s only for a brief period of time, try to go outside or open the window curtain when there is natural light out. It will help regulate the sleep cycle and one’s emotions!

Plan a Little “Pick-Me-Up”

• Small Treats Can Go a Long Way: Treating yourself doesn’t have to be a huge deal! But rather a small cup of coffee, a warm cookie, or even your favorite comfort meals. Even going to take yourself out on a movie date, make sure to incorporate some time to focus, care, and to treat yourself.
• Explore Free Winter Activities: Many cities and local towns have entirely free or low cost holiday events like treelightings, winter markers, outdoor skating, gingerbread displays, light festivals, campus events, etc! These are great ways to reward yourself after a long study session or a “pick me up” to get into the holiday cheer!
• Create Some Cozy Traditions: Make a winter playlist, bake a warm dessert, create a festive piece to celebrate the holidays! Create a little tradition to look forward to every year, doing so makes the holidays feel more magical!

Move Your Body

• Indoor Workouts and Yoga: Online workouts, stretching routines, and even quick ten minute mindfulness meditation can help keep your body from feeling stiff! You don’t need any equipment, but just a positive mindset! 
• Short Walks: Bundle up and take a walk between classes or when the sun is still out. Fresh air (even cold air) can help wake up your senses and help boost your mood)!
• Winter Activities: If you enjoy being outside, try to take part in the seasonal activities like sledding, ice skating, and even hiking. Moving around and surrounding yourself with nature can help the winter sluggishness. 

Nourish Your Mind and Emotions 

• Journal and “Brain Dump”: Write anything and everything! What stressors are on your mind and what are some coping mechanisms to help combat the stress? Journaling helps make the noise in your head disappear.
• Stay Connected: It’s easy to accidentally isolate yourself during the winter time. Remember to reach out to your friends. Grab lunch, plan a study date, or even plan a call!
• Honors Your Energy Levels: If the winter makes you feel more tired and groggy that is normal! Allow yourself to take rests, slow the pace down, and take breaks when needed. Remember that you do not need to be productive 24/7, especially within the darker months of the winter time. 

Thank you so much for reading my last article written for the Fall 2025 semester! It has been a pleasure to share my thoughts and emotions. To whoever is reading this, I’m glad you’ve read this blog the whole way through and just know you will get through these dark and cold months, always remember to let the light in! 

By: Fatin Rahman, Francis College of Engineering Well-Being Leader

As I wrap up 2025, I keep returning to the mantra that carried me through every ridiculous, painful, chaotic moment this year: life is coming from you, not at you.

I think about all the times things felt out of control, when I sprained my ankle in March and had to walk around campus with a limp, when I injured my hip in November and was forced into bed rest, annoyed and embarrassed that I wasn’t more careful, especially during midterms. I think about my birthday in October, when I completely broke down from the pressure of classes, work, clubs, deadlines… just everything.

And yet, that mantra pulled me through every single time. It reminded me that there is no invisible hand shaping my fate. Things happen, yes: inconvenient, painful, unfair things. But  I decide what I make of them. I’m not the victim of my life’s circumstances; I am the one steering through them.

I think back to that Tuesday in November. I knew the injury was bad, but the consequences hadn’t sunk in yet. My mind spun out instantly: What events will I miss? Will my boss think I’m unreliable? How many classes will I fall behind in? Am I really starting from zero in the gym again after working so hard?

And then, almost like a snap:  So what?  If I have to restart, I’ll restart. I’ve done it before. I survived because I refused not to.

When the world starts closing in, when exams pile up, when work responsibilities stack, when the “halfway-through-college” panic hits,  I remind myself how far I’ve come simply from not yielding. Reframing everything this way has been my greatest strength. I’ve given a few horrible presentations that made me want to hide under a rock. I’ve had days where nothing went right. But progress isn’t linear; it’s messy, humbling, and sometimes just straight up mean.

Still, I don’t fold. Because whatever unstoppable force life decides to fling at me meets something even stronger: my will, my resilience.

And that’s why I cling to the things that keep me grounded: the gym, my friends, spontaneous city trips, small routines that remind me life is still good and still mine. People always ask, “How do you do it all?” and I always start with this quote.

Life is coming from you, from your choices, your strength, your mindset, not at you. And the moment I started believing that, everything changed.

By: Soham Sawant, Kennedy College of Sciences Well-Being Leader

For many students, college isn’t just academically difficult; it’s a daily battle against an environment that feels fundamentally built for a different type of brain. Big Lecture halls, fluorescent lights, scientific concepts and long and difficult course content. Pair these with crushing deadlines and approaching finals, having even a second to yourself feels like a luxury.

Recently the feeling of overstimulation has been prevalent on campus, everyone seems to be feeling overwhelmed by academics, social interactions and some are even feeling the\ word “fomo”, the fear of missing out. Though these effects are faced by everyone it is particularly more difficult for students who have some form of diagnosed or undiagnosed neurodivergence.

Even though medical care is something you should definitely seek if you require, there are some little habits that you can implement to lessen the feeling of overstimulation and get a hold of your own attention.

Before getting into the actual habits we should first understand why and how this usually happens. On university level and in this era with phones and short-form content, it is really easy for students to get stuck into these dopamine sticking points. Despite the fact that short-form content is a much more convenient way of delivering information, we forget that our brains get used to only having stimulation is short bursts. This might seem not that big of a problem but in the overall life of a student, it can lead to big issues.

Because of the now dulled brain, anything even slightly more longer than the short-form content seems too much. Sitting in a lecture now feels like a chore, focus starts to dwindle withing the first few minutes. Homeworks which aren’t meant to be such that they require you to use your brain to focus for longer periods, seem daunting and near impossible.

So, how do you start to fix this? The first step is just becoming more self-aware. Learn to spot the signs. Are you reading the same sentence over and over? Does the noise in the cafeteria suddenly feel way too loud, making you irritable? That’s your brain signaling that it’s tired. Instead of just pushing through, listen to it. This is the perfect time to use our campus resources. Find that “serenity center” or wellness room you’ve heard about. Remember the massage chairs tucked away on the third floor of UCrossing. Go use one for 15 minutes. Taking that small, deliberate break isn’t being lazy; it’s a strategic way to reset your brain so you can actually be productive later.

Taking a minute for yourself is a great on-the-spot fix, but if this feeling of being overwhelmed is becoming your default, you need to talk to someone. And remember, “professionals” aren’t just doctors. Your teachers, your faculty advisor, and even the sta in your department are trained professionals who want you to succeed. Go to your professor’s office hours. You don’t have to give them your life story, but just saying, “I’m feeling really overwhelmed by the pace of the class and am struggling to focus,” can open a door. They can offer assistance, like breaking down the content, or point you to academic support you didn’t even know existed. They see this all the time, and you’d be surprised how many resources are available if you just ask.

By: Nokomis Bramantecohen, College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Well-Being Leader

Introduction 

Today I thought I’d share with you all one of my favorite recipes perfect for any season, occasion, or gathering! Although these yummy blueberry muffins are wonderful for any season, my favorite time to bake is the fall and winter! Just one fair warning, once they come out of the oven, they might be gone in minutes because of how warm and flavorful they are! Here is a photo of my finished result, my family devoured them in seconds! I love to bake and decorate cakes, so without further ado, grab an apron, put on some cozy tunes, and let the baking begin! I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I do, and remember the main ingredient, love!

Ingredients for the batter:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (1 pint) fresh blueberries washed, drained, and picked-over, or frozen 

Instructions For the batter: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Prepare a muffin pan with cupcake liners. 
3. In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. 
4. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. 
6. Add the ½ cup melted butter, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until combined. 
7. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. (Dough will be lumpy.) 
8. Fold in blueberries.

For the crumble:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter (cold)

Instructions: 

1. To prepare the crumble, in a medium bowl combine ¼ cup flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. 
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the topping is crumbly and coarse.
3. Fill prepared muffin cups with batter. Top each muffin with streusel topping, about 1 tablespoon each. 
4. Bake until muffin centers bounce back when lightly pressed, about 18 to 22 minutes.
5. Cool muffins on a rack for several minutes before removing from the pan.

By: Devansh Ramani, Francis College of Engineering Well-Being Leader

It’s that time of year again — winter. And if there’s one thing we know about New England, it’s that the cold doesn’t hold back. The days get shorter, the air sharper, and the temptation to stay bundled up inside our comfort zones feels stronger than ever.

But while the season invites us to slow down, it also reminds us to take care of ourselves — both physically and mentally. The chill in the air may make us want to hibernate, yet our well-being still needs warmth, movement, and connection.

—

Embracing the Stillness

Winter often carries a quiet that no other season has. Streets are calmer, people walk a little faster, and time seems to stretch. It’s easy to see this as a season of pause — and that’s not always a bad thing.

There’s beauty in stillness. It gives us space to reflect, rest, and appreciate the small comforts that summer’s rush often makes us overlook. But stillness shouldn’t mean stagnation. We can honor the season’s calm while keeping our spirits and bodies active in small, intentional ways.

—

Moving Through the Cold

Staying active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym every day or running through snow-covered sidewalks. It can be as simple as a morning stretch by the window, a walk around campus or your neighborhood, or even a dance break while you’re making hot cocoa.

The point isn’t perfection — it’s presence. Movement keeps our energy flowing and helps fight the sluggishness that winter can bring. It’s one way of telling ourselves, “I’m still here, still trying, still growing.”

—

The Warmth of Connection

Just as important as keeping our bodies moving is keeping our hearts connected. Cold weather can make us retreat inward, but reaching out to friends, classmates, or family — even for a quick chat — can do wonders for our mental health. Talking to people who matter reminds us that we’re not alone in facing the winter blues.

Sometimes, warmth doesn’t come from blankets or heaters — it comes from conversations, laughter, and shared moments.

—

Moving Forward

So this winter, let’s make a simple promise to ourselves: Not to let the cold make us complacent. Not to lose sight of our goals or our relationships. And not to forget that every small effort counts — whether it’s a walk, a call, or just taking a deep breath and stepping outside.

Winter may be cold, but it also carries its own kind of renewal. Let’s embrace it — not by fighting the season, but by finding our balance within it.

“Even in the coldest days, we can still create our own warmth.”

By: Fatin Rahman, Francis College of Engineering Well-Being Leader

It’s easy to blend into the background, to be just another face in the crowd, sticking with a group and avoiding attention. It feels safer to stay quiet than to risk saying something imperfect. And when we do speak, we pressure ourselves to be polished to perfection, every word meaningful, every gesture intentional.

As I embark on my co-op next semester, I keep thinking back to the moment that started everything: the fall career fair. I was terrified of saying the wrong thing and stumbling over my words. So I had my friend go first to the recruiter at the company I had my eye on. I followed her “pitch,” echoing her general goals because I didn’t trust myself to stand on my own. I walked away knowing I didn’t stand out. The recruiter was kind, but I wasn’t memorable, and I knew it.

But I also knew I really wanted that job.

By pure luck, that same recruiter visited two of my classes in the days that followed. After each presentation, I walked straight up to her. No overthinking. No rehearsed pitch. Just me showing up, again and again. Polished? Absolutely not. But I was determined.

The interview process ultimately came and went, and then, in the middle of another career fair,  this time at a conference with over 10,000 people, I got the email: I got the offer.

Standing in that crowd with the job secured, something shifted. I walked into the conference career fair with a confidence I’d never felt before. I spoke openly about what I wanted. I didn’t try to sound perfect or impressive. I didn’t memorize lines or mimic anyone else’s goals. I just showed up as myself.

That was more than enough. I made connections for future jobs I’m genuinely excited about, not because I was polished, but because I was present.

What I’ve learned through all of this is simple: the courage to be seen doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from showing up anyway, even when you’re scared. Even when your voice trembles. Even when you think someone else could say it better.

You don’t need to sound like you’re in “Suits.” Real life isn’t about the perfect quip. It’s about being clear about what you want and standing in that truth.

And the best part is, you don’t have to do it alone. I leaned on my friends, their encouragement, their presence. And the more I let people support me, the braver I became. The courage to be seen grows from trusting your voice and allowing others to stand beside you as you step forward. Because once you choose to show up as yourself,  unpolished, imperfect, and genuine, doors start opening in ways you never expected.

By: Saryna Vith, Manning School of Business Well-Being Leader

Snow is on the way again, and the campus already feels it. Everyone’s getting sick, myself included, but we’re still dragging ourselves to classes as the semester doesn’t slow down for a sore throat or a fever. You can see it in the hallways; people wrapped in hoodies, half awake, just trying to get through the day.

What really caught my attention this week, though, is how quiet everything feels. Not the usual calm… more like students are moving around with something weighing them down. It’s the kind of silence where you can tell people are tired in more ways than one. The looks on their faces almost say, “I’m dealing with more than I can talk about.”

It feels like a lot of us are carrying things we don’t say out loud; stress from classes, personal problems, money issues, homesickness, health stuff, everything. And even when we show up, we don’t always show what’s going on inside.

Winter just started, the sickness is spreading, and the work keeps piling up. But if this week taught me anything, it’s that so many of us are holding heavy things quietly. If you’re one of them, you’re not the only one.

Take care of yourself, and take a second to check in on someone else. A simple “you good?” goes a long way this time of year. And if you ever need help navigating these cold months, feel free to Book an appointment with me!
(https://calendly.com/saryna_vith-student/30min)

By: Quinn O’Brien, Manning School of Business Well-Being Leader

“Move it, and lose it.” A very simple quote that has a wide range of meaning. It can apply to many things, both positive and negative, but for me, it’s a powerful reminder about well-being.

As I reflect on this semester, I’m thinking about both my highs and lows. It’s always easier to focus on the lows, but it’s just as important to recognize your accomplishments and give yourself credit. When I looked at the low points in my semester, one main pattern stood out: I was more dormant during those times. One thing that is very important for my well-being is making sure I’m moving and working out.

That’s where the quote “Move it, and lose it” comes in. For me, it means that when I’m stressed with school, I need to stay disciplined and focus on the things that make me feel good and improve my lifestyle. In the chaos of life, it can be hard to remember what works best for you. I notice direct benefits from moving my body; It’s scientifically proven that physical activity lowers stress. “When I move my body, I lose stress.” I use this quote as a reminder.

As early as I can remember, working out has played an important role in my everyday life. It boosts my mood and helps me manage ADHD and anxiety. In elementary school, I even had a counselor and a special education teacher who let me do pushups in their office. That helped me immensely and taught me early on that movement is more than just exercise, it’s regulation.

Fast forward to now: I still build movement breaks and workouts into my day. But staying consistent in college can be difficult. There’s freedom, stress, and a lot of work. I notice that when I don’t move my body, my focus and mood are completely off. After even one week of not moving as much, I can feel a huge difference in how I think and feel.

So, how can a college student practice “Move it, and lose it”?

This is the hard part, figuring out how to implement movement into daily life. It can feel intimidating, but movement doesn’t have to be an intense workout. It can be a walk, a few functional movements, or a quick bodyweight circuit. Sometimes when I feel an urge to release energy, I do stationary workouts. It might be 30 seconds or an hour, whatever time I have. It gives me an immediate release and helps me refocus on what I’m doing.

Below 2024 research done on “The effect of physical activity on depression: a lagged mediation study of school burnout”: ‘

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-21003-9?utm_source=

By: Minh Tran, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-Being Leader

As bread dough bakes in the oven, it expands and molds to fit the shape of the container it is in. With no container, it expands in every which way with no sense of direction until it can no longer do so. When a baker molds the dough with intention, the outcome of the loaf takes on the form that they had envisioned. Self-improvement works in a similar manner to baking bread. If you want to become the person you’ve always imagined, you must shape yourself with purpose. Improvement doesn’t happen by accident; it takes work. The work of shaping and building healthy habits, mindsets, and actions guides you in that direction. Here are a baker’s dozen of tips to help you mold a better you and embark on a journey of self-improvement:

# 1: Gather your Ingredients (Identify the Person you want to become)

The first step of self-improvement is recognizing what aspects you want to improve. Take time to reflect on your values, goals, and qualities that you want to see in yourself. Once you identify what “ingredients” you want to use, you can begin building them and incorporating them into your recipe.

# 2: Follow the Recipe (Build a Routine)

Building a routine gives a framework that you can follow, just like how recipes can help guide the baking process. If you build a consistent routine, it will allow you to keep on track with the habits you’re actively building. Committing to a daily routine can create momentum that can lead to meaningful change in yourself over time.

#3: Start with Easy Bread-Baking techniques (Start small and then build up)

When you are a novice baker, you start with the simple recipes before you are able to tackle the more complex ones. When starting your journey of self-improvement, it is important to start small. Starting with small, manageable habits makes your journey feel more achievable. As you grow, you can gradually set bigger goals for yourself.

# 4: Mind Your Measurements (Pour Your Energy into the Correct Habits)

Just as baking requires precise measurements, the way you spend your energy should be intentional and poured into the correct things. Focus on habits that truly push you towards your goals rather than those that drain or distract you. Invest your energy into relationships and people that make you better as a person and can help push you to be the best version of

yourself. Investing your effort wisely can help you with your endurance in the journey of self-improvement

# 5: Keep Your Counters Clean (Keep your Physical and Mental Environment Tidy)

Creating a cutter-free environment, both physically and mentally, can help build a clearer path forward. This can help reduce stress and improve your focus if you are able to keep yourself organized. When your surroundings support your goals, progress feels more attainable.

# 6: Mix in New Flavors (Get out of Your Comfort Zone)

Pushing yourself outside of what is comfortable is a crucial aspect of growth, and it can enrich your life. It may feel very intimidating to do things you’re not normally comfortable with, but it can introduce you to opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise encounter, in which you can grow. Embracing moments of discomfort can help expand your potential and help you discover aspects of yourself you didn’t even know you had.

# 7: Let the Dough Sit (Take time to recharge and reset)

Rest is important on any journey, even self-improvement. If you are constantly working yourself to achieve your goals, you can get burnt out before you even reach them. That is why it is important to recharge and not overwork or overstress yourself. Taking breaks doesn’t slow you down on your journey, it just helps to build endurance.

# 8: Wait for the Dough to Bake (Be Patient with Yourself)

Self-improvement takes time, and the progress you make doesn’t always appear right away. It can sometimes be slow and unnoticeable. You need to trust the process, even when you can’t recognize the progress you’ve made. Patience ensures that the growth you make is steady.

# 9: Check the Dough Periodically (Make Sure to Recognize your Successes)

It’s important to take a step back and notice how far you’ve come on your journey. Celebrating the small wins can help reinforce positive habits and boost your confidence. Regular reflection allows you to appreciate the effort you’ve put in and can help you adjust your goals when needed.

# 10: Don’t Leave the Bread in the Oven for too Long (Don’t Overpush yourself)

Baking the bread for too long can ruin a loaf and sometimes even burn it. Similarly, pushing yourself can lead to burnout. It is important not to push yourself further than your limits because it can eventually cause you to slow down and throw you off track. Balancing effort with recovery ensures that you stay motivated and can keep up on your journey of self-improvement.

#11: Incorporate the Bread into different Dishes (Make Time for Yourself and your Interests)

Make room in your life for hobbies, fun, and personal interests. If you spend too much time working on your goals, you can sometimes lose sight of who you are. Spending time on things you can enjoy can fuel you and allow you to stay motivated.

# 12: Share the Loaf (Build a Community)

Growth is more meaningful when shared with others. Surround yourself with people who uplift, support, and encourage you. A strong community can offer guidance, accountability, and a sense of belonging that strengthens your journey.

# 13: Celebrate the final Product (Be True to Yourself)

Take pride in the person you’ve become. Celebrating your achievements reinforces your self-worth and highlights the hard work you’ve invested. Stay true to who you are, and let your authentic self shine as you continue growing.

This is a baker’s dozen of tips that can help you begin your journey of self-improvement, but also make bread! Each of the tips I’ve shared is like a piece of a recipe: some help you build a strong foundation, others add variety and flavor to your life, and a few teach you to adapt when things don’t go perfectly. Remember that self-improvement is more about the path than the destination. Everyone’s path is different, so remember that you shouldn’t compare your process to others. Enjoy the journey of becoming the person you want to be, and remember to stay true to yourself!

By: Fallon Weiss, Well-Being Leader for the Kennedy College of Sciences

The further I get into my college career, the more I’ve learned that being a student isn’t just about showing up to class — it’s about surviving the waves of academic pressure that come out of nowhere. Some weeks are manageable… and then suddenly, you hit that moment. The crunch time moment. Maybe it’s an upcoming exam worth 40% of your grade, a project that turned into a monster overnight, or three deadlines that somehow landed in the same week. Sometimes it’s not even one specific class — it’s the sheer volume and speed everything seems to demand all at once.

We’ve all felt it: that tunnel-vision, brain-buzzing, “I have to pull it together right now” mentality. You’re scrambling to catch up, stay afloat, and somehow keep the rest of your life from falling apart in the process. And even if you can push through, it’s still a struggle — and pushing too hard for too long can snowball into burnout, anxiety spikes, emotional exhaustion, and even slipping behind in the classes that weren’t stressing you out before.

So since we’re halfway through the semester and finals are creeping closer every day, I wanted to put together something for this month that focuses on not just surviving crunch time, but surviving it in a way that doesn’t destroy you in the long run. These tips are here to support both your mental and physical well-being and your academic health, so you can get through the storm without burning yourself out completely. Without further ado — here’s my Crunch Time Survival Toolkit:

FALLON’S TOP SEVEN TIPS FOR SURVIVING “CRUNCH TIME”:
TIP #1: 15-30-15 Studying Tactic: This is a tip I learned over the summer to help with my ADHD, but I’ve found it also does wonders when my brain is foggy or my motivation is hitting a low. 

Whenever you have a blocked out time for studying, have a timer nearby and set the first 15 minutes of your hour setting up your study space. This means finding a quiet spot, pulling up notes, study guides, or flashcards, and getting rid of any distractions. All this set up will help put your brain to a productive mindset, which gives an extra boost for study time. After the timer goes off, set 30 minutes for focused study: 30 minutes is a good starting point, but if you’re feeling confident you can change it to 45 minutes or even an hour if you think you can handle it. After the timer goes off, and this is the tricky part – set the third timer for 15 minutes of break. Now, when I say break I mean a mental break, this is no time to get pulled into a phone game or a gaming session. Step away from your study space. Take a short walk, listen to some music, watch a short video (don’t go down the shorts video rabbit hole!), or even just lay down for a bit. This will recharge your brain for the next round of study. 

This technique is mostly applied to studying, but if you need this boost on homework or chores and it works? Please do so! Motivation is hard to find once you’ve lost it, but this technique has saved me many times before.

TIP #2: Have a Strict Schedule – and Make Sure You Follow It: No, I’m not talking about a formal academic schedule, though having one is great for blocking out your day to ensure you have time for homework and study. I’m talking about a schedule around everything else. When you’re in crunch time, your mind will make every excuse to skip out on or push off taking care of your body. It’s happened to me too. I’ll be so zoned into a coding project, that when I see it’s 5:30pm and I start to feel hungry, my mind will say something like: “Five more minutes, just until this project is finished. It’s more important.” Then suddenly it’s 8pm, and I’m rushing out to grab something at the dining hall before it’s closed for the night. But these habits are not healthy, and if you want to be at 100 percent, your body needs care. 

Have an alarm set on your phone to remind you to get meals, to shower, and to make sure you get to bed at a healthy hour. Your body needs three meals a day, a shower every other day, and at least eight to nine hours of sleep each night to function optimally the next day. If it doesn’t get those necessities, it’ll start to work against you: Brain fog, higher anxiety or depression levels, hunger shakes, binge eating to makeup lost meals, your skin breaking out in acne or rashes, and worst of all, leaving yourself more open to contract sickness from your immune system taking a hit. All this can lead you to doing even worse in classes where you wanted so badly to do well. In the end, it’s a balance. A balance that has to be respected. So when the alarm on your phone goes off, find a stopping point and tear yourself away from the desk. Trust me, in the end it’s for your best interest, and believe me when I say your body will thank you.

TIP #3: Hydration Equals Causation: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Our bodies are mostly water, and when you’re under academic pressure, your brain is basically running a marathon every day — so you need to fuel it like an athlete. When you’re dehydrated (and it doesn’t take much), your brain starts conserving energy. That’s when the brain fog, headaches, irritability, random sadness, sudden exhaustion, and inability to focus come crashing in. Sometimes the problem isn’t that you “can’t focus” — it’s that your brain physically can’t because it doesn’t have what it needs to function.

A simple goal to aim for: one full water bottle per class or study session. If you struggle with plain water, add flavor packets, fruit slices, or carbonation — whatever gets you to drink more. And one harsh truth I learned the hard way: coffee, energy drinks, and soda don’t count toward hydration: in truth, almost all of them dehydrate you at a faster rate due to the amount of caffeine within them. They’re fine to have sometimes, but if they’re the only things you’re drinking, your brain is going to be running on fumes and fighting you every step of the way.

So don’t think of drinking water as “a bonus” — think of it as one of the most basic survival tools for academic success. Your brain can’t help you pass a class if it’s dried out like a sponge. Fill your bottle at the start of your day, keep it with you, and refill when you can. It sounds so small, but hydration really can be the difference between a productive day and a meltdown day.

TIP #4: Stress Consuming Your Mind? 1-Minute Reset: Stress hits fast—sometimes over something tiny, sometimes for no reason at all—and suddenly your brain is spiraling, your heart is racing, and everything feels impossible. When that happens, give yourself a one-minute reset. Sit back or plant your feet firmly on the floor, close your eyes if you’re comfortable, and inhale for four seconds, hold for two, and exhale for six; repeat that pattern four times. It’s simple and private enough to do anywhere—before an exam, after a coding bug, mid-study meltdown, or even in the middle of a tough lecture. That breathing rhythm signals to your nervous system, “We’re safe, we’re okay”, which lowers your heart rate, turns down the panic, and lets your brain return from fight-or-flight mode to focus mode. It may seem small, but that single minute can be the difference between shutting down and moving forward.

TIP #5: Don’t Know Where to Start? Find What You Don’t Know: For big exams, often a lot of topics end up among what you could be facing – and for finals? The whole semester worth of material. Before I go into focused studying, I find knowing what I need to focus on and what I don’t can help me better prioritize my time. Sure, I’ve looked over class notes and thought: “Oh, I totally understand this” and think I know it, but almost always when test time comes around – those questions are the ones I get stuck on. So, how do you know what you know and what you don’t know? If your professor has any exam review or practice tests, many of them will have example problems that will most likely look like exam questions. When you have time, answer each as if it were the actual test – put your brain’s retention to use. Then, go over the answers with an answer sheet and compare. Any problems you got incorrect? Mark them as topics to focus on when it comes to your study time. If your professor doesn’t have any exam review or practice tests, don’t worry! Sometimes redoing a few old homework problems from each section you’re being tested on can work as well, and if it’s more definition-based? Quizlet’s test generation with their study sets can work wonders. Make sure you’re marking down what you need to review someplace you can see it – Notes app, a notebook, a Post-It – wherever. And refer back to it, crossing out topics as you go over them.

TIP #6: The Group That Studies Together, Aces Together: I know you’ve probably heard this one before on every study tips poster or RA board, but it’s foolproof for a reason. If you have a few people you click with, or even a friend that you share a class with, inviting them for a study session can really help boost productivity. Professor office hours are great for those problems or questions that it feels no one can answer, but if you’re stuck on a topic, sometimes having someone else who can explain it to you in a way you can understand can help it really click. Google and tutors can sometimes use so much technical language to explain a topic that you end up feeling more lost than when you began. A study group can also keep people accountable and focused while still maintaining a laid back, relaxed vibe to your studying that those focused study sessions by yourself can lack. This won’t work with every single person, and it’s good to be aware of who will help you truly study and who will get you distracted when picking a study group. Some friends are great people to hang out with, but terrible study partners. Make sure you’re choosing wisely.

TIP #7: Study Consistently, Study Differently: Repetition is great for retention, and keeping yourself consistently tested alongside your regular academic homework will make sure those topics truly start to stick. But using the same study methods every single day will make it feel more like a chore, and your brain will crave something different. Not every single test will look the same, questions will look different – why should your studying not do the same? If you’re a big fan of flashcards, mix it up on Quizlet by trying one of their games instead. If you’re more of a visual learner, try watching and taking notes on a few educational videos for the topic. If you love those group study sessions but need alone time to focus study, make your own Kahoot! and test yourself over and over until you get that fast timing score. Rewrite your notes, draw that diagram on a whiteboard, maybe even in your notebook! Generate new practice tests for yourself, test others, go wild! Make studying fun by always looking for new ways to reinforce the material – that way, your brain will always be hardworking and engaged during study time. After all, one study method never truly fits all.

At the end of the day, “crunch time” isn’t a test of how smart you are or how hard you can push yourself — it’s a test of how well you can take care of your mind and body while the pressure is high. None of these strategies are about being perfect; they’re about giving yourself structure, compassion, and momentum when everything feels overwhelming. Some days you’ll follow every tip flawlessly, and some days you’ll barely manage one — and both of those days count as progress. What matters is that you keep showing up for yourself, even in small ways. You’re not weak for struggling. You’re not behind because it’s hard. You’re a human being doing your best in a demanding season, and that is enough. So take breaks, drink water, breathe, make plans, and pick yourself back up when things get messy. You’ve already made it this far, and you’re capable of making it the rest of the way — one step, one hour, one day at a time. 

You’ve got this. <3