Spring fever epidemic
Don't fight the feeling that the season brings
Scatterbrained. That's how I'd describe my state of mind with only a few short weeks of classes left.
The term "senioritis" does not only apply to high school seniors. College students can feel the impact as well.
Who can blame us? The birds are crooning us with their sweet songs. Temperatures are climbing higher. Spring brings on feelings of playful delight. Instead of being cooped up in the house, we have the chance to go out and breathe some fresh air.
Fresh air must be toxic to my brain. When I begin to smell spring in the air, I lose focus on my responsibilities. I wish only to run barefoot on the rough pavement and through the stringy grass. Or to sit on my front porch feeling the cool breeze pass me by.
In this state of childlike bliss, the last things on my mind are studying for a biology test or reading ahead in my math book. I find it difficult to focus on one task for more than 30 minutes. My normal reaction is to give in and let myself know that I always get by, somehow. Or take my mind off the subject completely by getting a well-deserved nap.
After doing a set of tasks repetitively almost everyday for a long time, feelings of boredom begin to set in. For college students, those tasks could be going to classes, doing homework and going to work. Next day, repeat. It's known as a rut. Sooner or later we want things to change a little bit.
Spring is that little change we so desperately need. Once we get our first taste, there is little hope for turning back.
Being bored with a class also aids that urge to bliss out. My major is journalism, so I'm having a bit of trouble relating to my Biology 132 class. Jackson Community College student Brian Tucker said when he is unhappy with a class, he loses focus as well. And if his grades are not what he'd like them to be, he starts to give up.
So how do we fight this battle? It's important to know yourself well and know what you are capable of. Most students have the act of "flying by the seat of your pants" down to a science. If you know what it is going to take to get the kind of grades you want, it's OK to give yourself some leeway here and there.
But if you realize that you are slipping, and it's going to hurt your grade point average or chance at a scholarship, you may be able to resist the urge to give up. JCC student Leanne Gray said if she is unhappy with her grades she begins to work harder to bring them up.
But for me, thinking of trips to Cascades Ice Cream Co. and driving with the car windows down give me warm fuzzy feelings inside. I accept the fact that I feel this way every spring and I refuse to fight it.