It’s that time of the semester when deadlines pile up, finals loom, and motivation can feel hard to find. In this week’s Wellness Wednesday: Finishing edition of the Counseling Center’s popular series A Place to Be Seen, Heard, and Supported, Sam Keller delivers a timely and encouraging message to help every Rosemont student finish strong.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or like you’re falling behind, this Wellness Wednesday message is for you. Sam reminds us that what you’re experiencing is completely normal, and that small, practical steps combined with self care can make all the difference as you close out the semester.
You're Not Falling Behind. You're Finishing.
End of semester exhaustion hits differently when you're also staring down a transition.
Your brain is trying to close out this chapter and brace for the next one simultaneously, and that split attention is genuinely draining. So if motivation has gone quiet lately, don't wait for it to come back. Use a system instead.
Here's one you can save and come back to if you think they would work well for you.
When procrastination kicks in:
- Start with the most doable task on your list, not the biggest, the most doable. Completion builds momentum that intention never does.
- Set a 25 minute timer, work on one thing only, then take a 5 minute break. Repeat.
- Move your phone to another room. Not silenced, gone.
When everything feels like too much:
- Write every outstanding task down in one place to get it out of your head.
- Circle the three things that actually matter this week. Focus only on those.
- Break any big task into steps so small they seem almost pointless; then do the first one.
When anxiety about what's next creeps in:
- Name one thing you can control today and put your energy there.
- Give yourself a set window to think about the future; maybe 20 minutes in the evening, and outside that window, let it wait.
- Say it out loud to someone. A friend, an advisor, a counselor. Anxiety loses its grip when it stops living only in your head.
Through all of it, protect the basics:
- Sleep at least 7 hours; everything is harder without it.
- Eat a real meal before high stakes tasks.
- Move your body for 15 minutes. A walk counts.
These aren't rewards for when you finish; they're part of how you finish.
You Don't Have to Do Everything at Once
You just have to do the next thing.
The finish line is closer than it feels, and you already have everything you need to get there.
The Counseling Center is always here as a space to talk things through and get support in all areas of life.
The Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm.
You can reach me directly at samantha.keller@rosemont.edu or email rosemontcounselingcenter@rosemont.edu to schedule an appointment.
A Place to be Seen, Heard & Supported
The Counseling Center is "A Place to Be Seen, Heard, and Supported." The Counseling Center team includes Thomas DeGeorge, PhD, LPC, and Samantha Keller. The center brings clinical expertise and a strong commitment to student care. As a result, the Rosemont community receives consistent guidance designed to foster reflection, resilience, and growth.
Explore this weekly series of thoughtful reflections and practical tools to promote student wellbeing featured in the Connections Newsletter by exploring the Counseling Center newsfeed.
