Is it possible to get senioritis as a sophomore?

We’ve made our way through the first semester, Royals. I know I’m not the only one who feels like the past 9 months have drained me of any motivation.  And who could blame us? We are living through a major pandemic, trying to navigate our teen years, and appease the college board.

It seems most Royals are struggling with a Second Semester Slump.

Second Semester Slump

Noun

1. The massive drop in motivation and rise in exhaustion students feel once they have lived through a pandemic and finished their first semester. Symptoms include: laziness, lack of motivation, exhaustion, and overall slothery.

I knew I had a bad case of a Second Semester Slump when doing homework in my bed seemed like a good idea.  Or when that “One more episode, then I’ll do my essay” turned into six.

Sarah Bradford ’23 said, “Finding motivation right now is next to impossible. I feel like I am dragging my way through the last months of school.”  Same Sarah, same.

Vaishali Gupta ’23 commented, “Staying focused on school right now is the hardest it’s been in a while. I think I am just really burnt out, but fighting towards the end of the year is exhausting.”

Junior Elena Walz added, “I am just so stressed and tired. That is all I have to say. Just so, very, stressed and tired.”

Well, how can we treat this awful slump?

There is a few full-proof cures. For me, forcing myself to put on a fresh pair of sweatpants (rather than my pajama pants that I slept in) and move to an uncomfortable chair that forces me to be alert is the best way to focus for my classes.

Sarah Bradford suggested, “I just give myself a reward system, and force myself to stick to it. For every three assignments I finish, I give myself 30 minutes of TikTok.”

Vaishali recommends, “I just remind myself what I’m working towards. When I have a set plan of goals, I can push myself to get what needs to be done finished.”

Second Semester Slump is rough. But we’re halfway there, Royals. We have a great semester ahead, and I know we can not only make it through, but also have a great time.