As students come back from winter break, they often face a struggle called the “Second semester slump”, the stretch from winter to spring.
The second semester is arguably the most challenging time for students. Workloads increase, final exams such as AP exams and SOLs are creeping around the corner, and school just starts to feel like a dreaded chore that we have to attend.
During the second semester, you are fully thrown into the beast of school, whereas the first semester is more like an introduction.
First semester is where you can look forward to football games, pep rallies, and homecoming, but the only thing anticipated during the second semester is hard, extensive work and end-of-course exams.
Also, during the second semester, is when for a lot of seniors, they get hit with a hard case of senioritis.
Senioritis hits especially hard during the second semester for many because if a senior has already been accepted to colleges, doing work may feel pointless and they are just counting down the days until graduation.
“It’s been harder to stay motivated since I already got into some colleges and since I’m close to the end I just want it to be over already”, senior Caroline Stocks said.
A huge contributor to this so-called “slump” is seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that is believed to be caused by shorter days and less daylight.
Most of the time, SAD goes unrecognized and under the radar, as many parents as well as teachers, may view this struggle as laziness or “not caring about their work.
According to the Children’s National Hospital, more than 1 million children and adolescents suffer from SAD.
Nothing makes somebody feel less motivated to give their full self to school, in school and at home, when it is cold and gets dark at five o’clock and as the teen mental health epidemic in our nation worsens it is important recognize student’s struggle during this time in the school year.
Even if a student does not even necessarily have SAD, this time of the year can still hit pretty hard.
“It makes me unmotivated and I realize how tired I am of coming to school, and I just really feel like I need a break some time”, Jasmine Williams (‘26) said.
Even though sometimes the second semester can feel unbearable at some points, it is important to prioritize your mental health and wellbeing. Finding a balanced ratio between school and your personal life can greatly help with the stress of the second semester.
For me personally during the second semester, I like to set aside a time in my week where I am not doing anything school related and I just have time to myself.
Hanging out with friends, finding a new hobby, exercising, etc may be helpful ways to mitigate the stress of the second semester.
So as we start this semester, make sure to take some time to yourself and to take a breather.
Mental health resources:
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text at 988
