An honest, practical, no-nonsense wake-up guide
College students often say: “I’m so tired.” — not the kind of tiredness after doing something physically demanding, but a vague exhaustion that comes with mental fatigue, lack of motivation, low efficiency, and a sense of being drained. When this state becomes normal, it easily leads to chronic procrastination, self-doubt, anxiety, and ultimately wastes your most precious youthful energy.
Today, we won’t talk about hollow concepts like “discipline” or “mindset.” Instead, from five practical and actionable perspectives, we’ll help you understand the real reasons your energy is drained and offer concrete, doable adjustments.
1. Stop Overdoing Anaerobic Training; Switch to Consistent Moderate Aerobic Exercise
From a practical standpoint, unless you plan to become a professional bodybuilder or fitness influencer, don’t chase after six-pack abs or sculpted arms during college.
Why?
Because for students: Anaerobic training = high cost + low return
Many gym trainers hype muscle shaping with slogans like “A good body = confidence + charm + life transformation,” but the real goal behind this is just to get you to buy membership cards.
What they won’t tell you is a harsher reality:
- You may train 1000 hours and only impress yourself on social media.
- The sweat you pour out likely won’t yield proportional results.
Moreover, high-intensity anaerobic workouts often severely drain your next-day energy. Muscle soreness, decreased focus, and sluggish mental performance are common side effects. For college students, this trade-off is rarely worth it.
Even harsher truth: In the adult world, unless you are a top-tier looker or social butterfly, muscle mass is not the main factor of attractiveness. Its weight is far less than charisma, communication skills, financial stability, or even fashion sense.
Recommendations:
Switch to 3-5 sessions per week of moderate or low-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, skipping rope, or badminton. These activities:
- More reliably improve cardiovascular endurance and focus
- Help maintain a healthy daily rhythm and mental state long-term
- Release dopamine, boosting your mood
2. Control Carb Intake, Adjust Eating Rhythms, Avoid “Fake Energy”
You might think you’re mentally exhausted because you study too much or sleep too little, but chances are you’re simply eating the wrong foods, especially consuming too many refined carbs every meal.
What is “fake energy”?
After eating high-GI (glycemic index) foods like white rice, noodles, burgers, or desserts, your blood sugar spikes quickly and then crashes fast. This leads to noticeable energy slumps:
- Around 10 AM
- 1-2 hours after lunch
- About 1 hour after dinner
During these times, you may feel dizzy, unfocused, restless — a “fake energy low.”
You might think you’re sleepy, but it’s actually your blood sugar backfiring.
Recommendations:
- Minimize high-GI foods like polished white rice, refined flour, sweets, and milk tea
- Increase intake of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and whole grains
- Eat until about 70% full each meal, then take a 20-minute walk
- Cut out sugary drinks (cola, iced tea, milk teas) and replace with water, green tea, or black coffee
- Replace snacks with apples, tomatoes, yogurt, nuts, etc.
This is not dieting; it’s about regulating energy release. What you want is steady, sustained clarity, not a 5-minute sugar rush followed by a crash.
3. Moderate Naps + Early Bedtime: Don’t Let “Staying Up Late Freedom” Drain You
Much of college fatigue comes from disrupted circadian rhythms.
Two common mistakes:
- Napping too long: Sleeping over an hour can leave you groggy and less focused. It tricks your body into entering another deep sleep cycle, making you more tired.
- Using phones late at night: Knowing you should sleep but ending up scrolling for an hour.
Sleep is not about willpower, but “physical separation”
- Don’t bring your phone to bed. Turn off the lights and sleep immediately.
- The biggest enemy to early sleep is the temptation of endless content, especially when your willpower is weakest late at night.
- Those who say “just one episode” or “only ten minutes” often end up staying up all night.
Recommendations:
- Keep naps to 25-30 minutes max — longer naps backfire
- Completely avoid screens one hour before bedtime; instead, read paper books or meditate
- Use timers or apps to block internet access at night, “clear the field” forcibly
If you can sleep before 11 PM and naturally wake around 7 AM, you’re already ahead of 90% of your peers.
4. Clearly Define Your Physical Boundaries: Don’t Let Your Dorm Become a “Mental Wasteland”
The root of college laziness often starts with “cocooning in the dorm.”
Many overestimate their self-control in the dorm:
- “I’ll do homework on the bed” ends up as “watching videos on the bed”
- “I’ll go downstairs to eat later” becomes “ordering takeout and lounging”
- “I’ll review tomorrow” turns into “playing games today”
It’s not lack of effort — it’s doing the wrong things in the wrong place.
Suggested “space rules”:
- Except for sleeping, don’t stay in your dorm too long
- Don’t do studying or entertainment on the bed
- Don’t eat in your dorm, especially avoid takeout meals
- Study in libraries, study rooms, or classrooms
- For long computer use, pick public or communal spaces
Never underestimate how much environment shapes your sense of time and motivation. A space filled with laziness will devour your time and energy.
5. Say No to “Ineffective Socializing,” Keep Only Relationships That Truly Nourish You
Many college students chase “belonging” but fall into energy-draining low-value social patterns:
- Acquiescing to roommates for watching shows together even if you don’t want to
- Going to boring gatherings because you feel you can’t say no
- Disrupting your own rhythm constantly just to socialize
A harsh but realistic fact:
Three years after graduation, you’ll likely forget 90% of your classmates’ names.
Dorm and class friendships often naturally fade after school. Even if some become high achievers, that doesn’t necessarily benefit you.
Unless you have worked closely with someone, the mere label “we were classmates” doesn’t translate to meaningful help.
Broad, shallow socializing is mostly emotional waste, not energy gain.
Be decisive about cutting back:
- Keep relationships that help you grow, feel comfortable, and respect you
- Avoid meaningless dinners, all-night karaoke, and complaint sessions
- Reserve time for yourself to think, recharge, read, and organize your thoughts
You’ll find the less social burden you carry, the easier it is to stay mentally fresh and clear-headed.
Summary: How You Allocate Your Energy Determines Your Life Trajectory
The four years of college are a golden stage for mental growth, not a time to be drained by internal exhaustion.
Students with abundant mental energy often excel in:
- Emotional stability and high learning efficiency
- Getting up early, focusing well, and managing themselves
- Speaking logically, working rhythmically, living with boundaries
- Having clear goals and not being distracted by trivial matters
This is not talent; it’s a deliberate choice.
When you learn to say no to seemingly reasonable but energy-draining things, your mind clears, your energy focuses, and your life direction becomes clearer.
College is not about “living like others,” but about “living like the person you truly want to be.”