How to survive senioritis

It's that time of the year when the holiday season is finished and it feels like there is little to look forward to in February and March. However, for seniors, it also means the first semester is over and most college applications have been submitted. This can only mean one thing: senioritis is beginning to set in.

Though senioritis is often used as a dirty word, like it's some sort of disease that's suddenly spreading, it's a fair reaction for seniors to be lazier and procrastinate more. Suddenly, there is little motivation to put in the same amount of effort once you've already gotten into college; the afternoons that used to be spent writing essays and falling asleep while reading a textbook are now weirdly empty, and you no longer feel pressure to strive for perfect grades. It is true that if you drop to a 1.0 GPA second semester, colleges might revoke your acceptance, but it would be way more productive to accept senioritis and to channel your energy to embrace its freedom. Here are four tips to occupy your time during second semester.

(To those of you who are not seniors: Why are you reading this? Go do your homework!)

1) Get off your butt

If you play a sport, you're probably set on this front. But if you excel at sloth-like behaviors as I do, use all this extra time to join a gym, go for a run or do anything that gets your blood moving. For motivation, I like to think about the fact that without being in shape, my chances of surviving the Hunger Games are significantly lower.

2) Don't let your brain melt

With the decreased workload, it's easy to slip into a dangerous territory of never seriously learning or thinking. The excuse of too much homework is no longer valid for not getting around to reading. Even re-reading can be a way to go; if there's a book or series you love, go relive its magic (I'm looking at you, "Harry Potter"). However, if reading was never your strong suit, try watching documentaries Personally, I can't wait to demolish all of "Planet Earth."

3) Get a job

Between college applications, a yearbook, prom and beach week, senior year racks up a hefty bill. Finding a job is not easy in this economy (though, if I had a dollar for every time I heard this sentence, I wouldn't need a job), but if you're persistent enough, it can be done. In fact, open those Family Connections e-mails that everyone tends to ignore, because they often have job opportunities.

Read More: How to avoid debt as a senior

4) Do nothing

It's nice to be productive and feel like you're making good use of all this new free time, but hey, you've almost completed 13 years of mandatory education; it's okay to take a break and simply do nothing. Eat everything in the fridge, take a nap everyday and spend hours watching cat videos. You're a second semester senior. Enjoy it.

Got any tips of your own? Share them below!