End of Semester Q & A

Hello, everyone! We hope you all have had a great semester and that it is ending smoothly. For our final blog of 2022, we decided it might be fun to do a little Q & A with the writers! As readers may know, Michael is graduating this semester so it will just be Alexandria and Georgia responding to some fun questions we’ve come up with.

What was the most interesting thing you learned this semester?

Georgia: My most memorable learning experience from this semester was in one of my communication courses. My favorite concept we studied was the idea of resistance and how rhetoric can function to oppose dominant ideologies.

Alexandria: The most interesting thing that I learned this semester was just how complex advertising can get and what all goes into that.

What would be your ideal superpower?

Georgia: Teleportation! I have always wanted to travel and see the world, and being able to teleport wherever I want, whenever I want would be amazing. Also, I would never be late to anything because there is no commute time to worry about!

Alexandria: (Invisibility) I would love to have the ability to just disappear at the drop of a hat whether to scare people or to get away for my own sanity.

Attending classes during the semester can get hard so what is something you never fail to do?

Georgia: I always try to make time for myself. I will spend some time alone doing something I enjoy or have fun with my friends to make sure I am maintaining my emotional and mental health. I also make sure to schedule and attend sessions with my counselor so that I can talk through things and process how I am feeling.

Alexandria: I never fail to talk to other people during the semester because it helps me to talk through my problems. If I’m having a hard time with something it just feels better for me to talk to someone whether to get advice or just to have a listening ear.

What’s the best gift you’ve received from somebody?

Georgia: One of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received was a necklace from my best friend. She and her mother went out looking for a birthday gift for me and stumbled upon a series of moon phase necklaces. Each one was specific to the phase of the moon on a specific date, so they found the one from the night I was born and got it for me. Mine happened to be a new moon, so the moon is blue instead of white and it even glows in the dark. It is very special to me because my friend knows how much I adore the moon.

Alexandria: The best gift that I’ve received from someone else was a dream catcher. A close friend of mine told her mother-in-law about me and she hand-made me a three-tier dream catcher. I hadn’t met my friend’s mother-in-law before, so it was surprising to get such a great gift from someone that has never met me.

What are you looking forward to most this fall semester?

Georgia: I am really excited to take new literature courses. I adore creative writing and am looking forward to better understanding the process of getting work published. I’m also just looking forward to enjoying my senior year.

Alexandria: I’m looking forward to having more of my major-focused classes for Business and meeting new people. After this semester, it’ll be my senior year also so I’m excited to graduate and get my degree.

 

Takeaways

I hope you all feel like you know us a little better! It has been a blast getting to write these blogs and share our stories and tips with all of you. Have a brilliant summer and take a well-deserved break!

~ Georgia

(Bio: My name is Georgia Grace Wright, a junior at MSU majoring in Communication Studies. I also have minors in both Creative Writing and Anthropology.)  

~ Alexandria

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a senior business major at Missouri State University.)

Tips to Avoid Burnout

The spring semester is coming close to its end, and if you are anything like me, you are tired. Let’s face it, being a college student is exhausting work. The result will be so fulfilling, and we will all be smiling bright with our accomplishments, but we must get there first. That means that taking care of your health must be a priority. Burnout is a syndrome caused by poorly managing persistent stress, and many college students struggle with it. Because it is so common and difficult to manage, I would like to provide you with a list of tips that I’ve discovered and utilized to avoid burning out (or recover from it).

 

1.      Take care of your physical health

Sometimes it can be easy to get distracted and start neglecting your physical health when you are busy with your classes, work, friends, and just life itself. It is a lot, and we may forget to care for ourselves physically. It is imperative that we make conscious efforts and take time to make sure our bodies can function at their best. I know you’ve heard it before, but it is true. Drink plenty of water, move your body in some way every day, and eat good meals. Make these seemingly simple things into habits that you take real time for.

2.      Take care of your emotional, mental, and spiritual self

I have found that people often overlook the importance of their emotional, mental, and spiritual health. These things are so important to us as human beings, and what is healthy can look different for each and every one of us. This means take time to sit with yourself, reflect on your values and goals, and what makes you happy and fulfilled. If you have spiritual or religious practices, make time to do that. If not, simply make time to reflect or do something you enjoy. Some of us struggle with our mental wellness, and it may be beneficial to seek out professional help in those situations. Whatever you need to do or get done, make sure that you feel okay doing it. You must take care of yourself first before you can do anything else.

3.      Spend quality time with friends and loved ones

It is so important to take breaks from studying and working. This goes along with the previous tip in caring for your emotional health, but it is important enough to have its own category. Spending quality time with the people you love can make the difference in burning out and thriving. Confide in your friends and family, they want to be there for you.

4.      Remember why you started

We are all here for a similar reason; we want to further our education. That said, we all have our specific and personal reasons for wanting to do that. Remember why you did. Take time to set goals and reflect on past ones. Think about the things you have accomplished so far and what you want to do in the future. How can you make that happen? What are you doing right now to make it happen? It is important to note that the previous tips should always come first. You cannot give what you do not have, so once you’ve taken care of your health you can think about these things.

5.      Seek help

If it has gotten to the point that you are already on the downhill side of burning out, there are always people out there to help you, you only need to ask for it. In the Center for Academic Success and Transition, we offer Peer Mentors and Success Coaches if the problem involves academics or transitioning to college. We are here to support you and want to make sure you have access to the right resources. If the issue you are having pertains to your mental or emotional health, reach out to Missouri State’s Counseling Center. You get eight free counseling sessions every semester, already paid for. If it’s about being a multicultural student and everything that goes along with that, you can contact Multicultural Services. If you are struggling with anything else, reach out to someone. That person can be someone from the university, a friend, or a family member. This is always someone out there who wants to help you.

Takeaways

Burnout is a real problem for college students, and sometimes it can be unavoidable. These tips are useful in an effort to try to avoid it, or as ways to recover. All you can do is your best. Try your best to take care of yourself, have empathy for your own struggles, and be gentle with yourself. You deserve to be here and to meet your goals. Help is there if and when you need it, you only have to ask. Thank you for reading, I will leave you with this quote from Banksy,

“If you get tired, learn to rest—not to quit.”

(Bio: My name is Georgia Grace Wright, a junior at MSU majoring in Communication Studies. I also have minors in both Creative Writing and Anthropology.)