When I first heard about the “primal scream” bellowed before final exams, it seemed cute — endearing, even. “Aw,” I thought, “a happy little united community!” Um, yeah, no. Already, I’m feeling the vibrations of a stampede of papers, quizzes and midterms, making it clear that the primal scream is more about a fear of being trampled than a “Let’s hold hands and yell together!” moment.
The first few days of school — and that bubbling, shiny enthusiasm that went with it— have long passed. It didn’t take long to debunk the myth that you could do every club, activity and social event and stay on top of work. By now everyone is already cutting corners: skipping lectures, napping during discussion and slapping together shabby papers.
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This coincides nicely with the arrival of midterms, a big scary word for tests on stuff we just started learning. Along with midterms comes a slew of papers and quizzes and every other deadline imaginable. The effects of this are visible all across campus: a girl with her laptop studying at Burger King amongst the sloppily inebriated; a boy passed out on a stack of textbooks in the study lounge. I can’t even walk down the hallway without hearing someone wailing about the horrors of 2 midterms and a paper due on the same day. Sure, living on your own is great, but I really miss the days when every lunch was followed by recess, when 15 minutes of homework was too much and when skinned knees were the worst thing we had to worry about.
“I’m pretty stressed out. I have a paper to write, and I just got a quiz back with a C… I definitely feel like I need to step it up and do my homework,” Weinberg freshman Andrew Kim said.
There is definitely a general agreement that there is a lot of work right now— and basically always. Communications freshman Melissa Goss explained, “I get stressed out because I feel like I don’t get much done during the day… I get too distracted!”
Kim advised, “Just do your work and your stress will be relieved.” But it feels like even with the most sincere intentions of staying on top of things, everyone inevitably slips behind at one point or another. And when that happens, it’s hard not to freak out a little bit. Especially now that finally, after 18 years of being taken care of, we are expected to be mature and responsible adults who can take care of themselves. Getting stressed out, however, is rarely helpful, and often just makes catching up even harder.
When it comes to taking some time off to relax, there is a lot we can learn from the younger generation; we may be suave and sophisticated college students, but seriously, those second-graders know what they are doing.
Ways to bring out your inner seven-year-old (and avoid epileptic convulsions in response to the mountains of work that have stealthily crept up upon you):
Volunteer. There are oodles of opportunities to make a difference here, so take advantage of them! Working with children is, as the name implies, work, but you will be surprised by how rewarding it is. You might feel like you are a lot more into the Dr. Seuss books than the sniffly-nosed 6-year-old who won’t stop complaining, but you mean more to him than he shows. Plus, spending time with people who aren’t between the ages of 18 and 22 is so refreshing, and reminds you of the bigger world out there. Really, it is hard to have an anxiety attack about just one test in one class when you realize how small you are in the big scheme of things. Opportunities to get involve abound: don’t let them slip by!
Take a nap: Finally, we’ve hit the stage in our lives where we can relive our pre-school days. Yes, folks, naps are back in fashion: after a long night of studying/partying/time-wasting and a hard day of lectures and labs, the mid-afternoon snooze is one of the great joys of college. Just don’t sleep through too many classes.
Order from the kid’s menu: Sure, Ben & Jerry’s and Coldstone seem like a rip off when we have oodles of soft-serve bubbling up like geysers in our dining halls, but sometimes you just need some Chunky Monkey. If you don’t want to break your budget, opt for the kid’s size: in all honesty, it is usually not even that much smaller than a regular size, and goes for only about $2. All in all, those youngsters have the right idea about food, popularizing such delicious and gourmet culinary delights as ants on a log, PB&J (with the crusts cut off, of course) and cookies dipped in milk, all of which can be enjoyed with ease at any of the dining halls or in the comfort of your own room.
Play on a swing set: There is an excellently equipped playground on the beach less than a mile south of Norris, and a quick break on the swings (do you remember how to “pump”?) is excellent in the middle of a run. Exercising is one of the best ways to relax; getting a little sweaty helps you focus on something else and forget your stress, while simultaneously giving you the energy to continue your work.
Take a vacation: Because sometimes you just have to get out of town. I recommend going somewhere on a whim, perhaps jumping on the El and getting off in a nice neighborhood you’ve never explored before. Bonus points for skipping through the streets, getting lost and finding yourself in laughably random situations.