Midterm Week Madness and Caffeine

Being a college student is hectic. It’s like being a toddler but cognizant of responsibilities. I want to nap, I want the food that’s not in my fridge, and I don’t know how to human half the time. So when midterm week comes around it means that everything gets a little more chaotic.  Along with sleep deprivation, you start to lose your sanity. As I mentioned previously, being a college student is like being a toddler. Midterm week, is being a toddler on sugar. Weird things start to happen.

Weird things like drinking too much coffee or energy drinks (fun fact: for safety and health purposes 4 cans is a recommended stopping place). Finding things that aren’t necessary funny turn out to be quite hilarious. When stressed, my thought process tends to be all over the place. My train of thought is no longer a train; it’s more like a Mexican jumping bean on crack. I’m already a procrastinator but when midterms come around it gets a little cray. I manage to stay focused with setting small goals for myself, like when I complete one study session, I change tasks, get food, do yoga, etc.

But other times I into over drive. It’s like a shock goes through me and I am ready to tackle everything (If you feel like this normally, kudos to you)! So, on my most recent energy kick I figured I’d write about what happens just to give insight. Next week I have almost every midterm; two projects, a friend’s b-day bash, an RA event, and have to register for next semesters classes, oh and met with the department chair so I can register for said classes. Drowning in responsibilities and things to do is college 101.  At least it's normal for many students here, so you gotta do what you gotta do! If I'm not working then I'm studying cause remembering the material is half the battle. 

I had a paper due by 9pm and was itching to get out of my math class that ended at 4pm. After being mentally kicked around by some interest rates and logic games, I had to settle down, eat and submit this shit on time. Here’s how everything unfolded.

After an order of nachos, a chili taco and 2 red bulls…I realized I was having a caffeine rush. There’s something to be said about getting an adrenaline rush from almost having a five page paper done. Especially when said 5 page paper has to be submitted within the next two hours. If you haven’t felt this  rush that feels like a thousand peppermint sticks melted down and coursing through your veins, then let me paint you a picture of the erratic scene that follows:

Fingers fly across the key board with a constant tap, tap, tap. It’s as if I am the superman of the Midterm/study world and I am crushing these keys like tooth picks. The only thing between me and success is the space left on the page that desperately needs to be filled.  Laying down knowledge like Moses, the words flow freely and it’s actually making sense. Surprising cause, I didn’t retain any information while reading, and right now this is spewing out of me like a volcano. An eruption composed with a crap ton of spelling errors. It’s ok though – there’s spellcheck and those squiggly little red highlights that look like fury caterpillars under my miss-spelled words are just reminders that – hey I am getting to that 2000 word point and can quickly edit right before I print. 

Duh. Perfecto. Almost done. 

This is excellence in its truest form, I’m like Simone Biles right now giving a 10 score performance. I want to color code my planner the right way, make a bullet journal of awesome-ness, and make flash cards that will inevitably get jumbled in my bed sheets. I have a Spotify playlist continuously playing, if the beat is too slow it’s got to go! It needs to be in tune with my fast paced thought process, it needs to thrive on the energy that I exist in right now.

Riding the wave of adrenaline like a pro, I want to do more. I make a list of what else I need to do in my already filled planner. It’s only the middle of the week and at this point next week, I’ll only be half way done with midterm hysterics. Knocking out essays, writing guidelines and study sheets, planning to eat, sleep, and get dressed to function like a human.  One task done. On to another. Go. Do it. Keep going. 

Ultimately, my caffeine intake is necessary. It’s fueling the fire in my soul and gearing me to go. I have X amount of hours to get things done and I’m going to pack them full with what needs to get done. It’s debatable whether this is healthy college behavior but being a college student, we’re not the healthiest.  This is what it boils down to: a soda, two Redbulls, a cup of water, 4 bathroom runs, 5 pages, two facebook breaks, a high-speed room clean up, wall calendar edit, weekly planner updated, and 3 playlist changes later I’m almost done and wrote this post. I have to make a study sheet for my exams on Monday.

NOTE TAKING GOALS 

Spotify Playlists in order of play:

Discover Weekly (based on your personal listening)

Brain Food (good, in my library but it slowed down so I had to change it up)

Study Vibes (constant upbeat tempo, transcendent vocals)