Here we go again. Another mid-semester editorial chronicling the harmful effects of student apathy has reached your eyeballs. Buckle up because we’re about to inspire you to climb your way out of the allegorical bunker of life.

Over weeks (years, probably) and out of pure and unrefined exhaustion, a brick wall has been built, separating you from your sanity and productivity. It may sometimes seem impossible to ever push through and break down that wall to achieve a winning stride across that sweet, sweet finish line in April.

This is a tough point in the semester. We have stretched out the proverbial high of exciting and rejuvenating spring breaks and still have what seems like a painful amount of time left before summer hits, making the light at the end of the tunnel appear to be but a mere sad twinkle.

We feel your pain. We get burned out here as a staff on the seventh floor of Lawrence, yearning for the Mondays where we can open the office windows and feel a warm breeze enter the room instead of a bone-rattling chill. (As we type this, snow is literally falling. Some of us didn’t have to wear coats earlier today. Consider our point proven.)

The combination of midterm exhaustion and those resiliently frigid temperatures can put us in a state of apathy about nearly everything. Even though it can be easy to fall into this rut, we implore you to find ways to stay positive and to stay vigilant. We beg you, actually.

Slacking off in college with the influence of personal relationships and extracurriculars can cause compromising and potentially more stressful situations later. By keeping up momentum, we have faith that you can power through (or at least make it appear that you are.)

We know it’s hard to get out of bed and hoof it to West Penn at 9:40 a.m. We know it’s hard to balance classes, work and a social life. We know it’s easy to literally begin to not care about – well, anything, really. We’re right there with you.

Sometimes the best way to refresh your perspective is to set aside one day each week to completely recuperate. If you’re ashamed by the basic human necessity to relax, don’t be. Don’t feel ashamed for taking a personal day, especially if it’s going to make getting through your responsibilities that week easier. Your mental and physical health is of paramount importance. Does that mean you have a free pass to skip your history class once a week every week? Maybe not. Okay, definitely not. But does it mean that sometimes taking a break is the best thing you can do for yourself? You bet your bottom dollar.

Don’t focus so much on obliterating that impossibly solid brick wall. Instead, consider other options – toss a rope and climb over it. Chances are, the adrenaline rush – combined with your exhaustion-induced delirium – will give you that extra push to get you to the top.