How to Survive the April Slump

By April, a lot of people are cooked.

Students are dragging themselves toward finals. Taxes just got paid. Parents are stretched thin. Work has been humming for months. Everyone can see summer coming, which almost makes it worse, because the relief is close enough to feel but not close enough to touch.

So no, it’s not just you.

This time of year tends to expose people. Energy drops. Patience gets worse. Sleep gets sloppier. Phone time goes up. Food quality goes down. People start operating like they are trying to survive their own lives.

Here's what you can do to take care of yourself.

1. Get outside more

You just spent months living under fluorescent lights, in offices, classrooms, gyms, and cars. You wonder why you feel flat. Daytime light exposure helps regulate circadian rhythms, alertness, and sleep timing, and morning light especially helps anchor the system.

So get morning sunlight. Get evening sunlight. Take calls outside. Dictate notes while walking if that’s what you have to do. Wispr Flow is great for that because it lets you talk instead of type, which makes it easier to get movement and sunlight without losing productivity.

Also, take a vitamin D supplement. You are almost certainly deficient right now, just trust me.

2. Sleep deprivation

Sleep is usually the first thing to go.

Kids, work, school, stress, revenge bedtime procrastination, whatever. People stay up later than they should, then act confused when everything feels harder.

More sleep is obviously the best answer. But if more sleep is not realistic right now, NSDR is a very good backup tool. It is not a replacement for sleep, but it can help reduce stress and take some of the edge off an under recovered nervous system.

Do ten minutes before work. During lunch. After work before you enter your house. Use it like a reset button.

Creatine is worth mentioning too, but without overclaiming. The research on helping cognition under sleep deprivation is promising, but still emerging.

3. Mental diet

It's easy to get lost in brain rot when you are tired.

When you are depleted, you stop wanting things that are good for you and start wanting things that are easy. That is where the phone wins. It is low effort, high stimulation, and always available.

Most screen time apps do not work because they are too easy to override. You do not need another soft little reminder asking whether you are sure. You need friction.

That is why Brick is so good. It is physical. You decide what gets blocked, tap to activate it, and then you need the actual device again to fully restore access. That is a much smarter solution than relying on a tired brain to suddenly become disciplined.

4. Actual diet

When I'm stressed, I eat like shit. Ben & Jerry's Dirt Cake flavor to be exact.

Diet and stress affect each other in both directions, and diets high in ultra processed food are associated with worse mental health outcomes.

This is why meal prep actually matters during stressful seasons. Frozen meals, bulk orders, whatever works. The point is to make eating like an adult easier than stress eating like a teenager.

A lot of meal prep kitchens are popping up and nowadays and most partner with your local gyms, so stay on the lookout for that. Give yourself nutrition and win some of that energy back.

5. Stretch

By April, stress is not just in your head, it is in your body.

Your hips are tighter. Your shoulders are tighter. Your back is tighter. You may not even realize how wound up you are until you actually open something up.

I did a back bridge yesterday for the first time in months and felt things I've never felt before.

So do a quick stretch routine before work or at work, because you probably will not do it after. Or take a few minutes on Sunday and stretch while listening to music or a podcast. Even a simple ten minute desk stretch or mobility routine is enough to make a dent.