It's about endurance now!
Ah, the dark ages. Whether your mid loves, likes, doesn't like USNA, the dark-age blues seem to hit everyone at one time or another, for long or short durations.
In some ways, PS and fall semester are a series of sprints. In Plebe Summer it feels like that's ALL you do - even when you're standing still, at attention, during drill or inspections! Then football games in the fall sort of mark each sprint. The game is the finish line, and along the way are boards, rates (and getting rated at lunchtime!), pranks. These events, in my memory of plebe year, break the fall semester into shorter weekly chunks. There was my weekly chem quiz, weekly calc III quiz, weekly minute paper for comp, weekly nav quiz, weekly rate quiz, SAMI, Sat. morning training, and so on. Although we knew "the days" at every chow call and sure looked forward to T-giving and Xmas leave, they were pretty abstract and far off.
Now, like USNA1985 also captured very well, you're back and things are different. There are fewer external motivators (it seemed). Sure, there are still inspections and chow calls and rate quizzes and come-arounds. Looking back on it, the way I'd describe it with a more adult-like perspective is that you are expected to be much more self-generating.
Breaking up the routine and tedium when necessary is an absolutely essential skill to explore and master. There will be times when, as an officer, you sense that your people are tired, crabby, and not as efficient, safe, and productive as they could be. Learning to endure is important. So is learning to blow off steam, when necessary and appropriate. Encourage opportunities for novelty from your mids. If they're churchgoers, try a different church this Sunday. If they still have Sunday town liberty, take a walk to the Capitol. I even enjoyed short walks along some of the old, old streets and houses that had been there for 300, 350 years and thinking about the history. Go to a sports match you wouldn't usually attend. Get takeout delivered. Have nerf fights. Send a care package with small puzzles or Legos (I liked them because I could mess with them and Not. Think. for a while). If you're within reasonable driving distance, "surprise" your mid with a Saturday visit (to the extent that the "surprise" arrives with enough time to plan some liberty and make sure your mids don't have watch).
One more thing. Attitude counts for a lot. It is really, really important. Many times, just changing your attitude changes your perspective and outcomes.
BUT.
Attitude is not the antidote to everything, and momentary "bad" attitudes are normal and expected. Sometimes, you just need to be grumpy, sad, crabby, impatient, tired, or frustrated (or all of those things!). If someone had a broken leg, we wouldn't just expect that person to will herself well, would we? Of course not - good attitude is only part of it. Everybody has their "IHTFP" moments or days or weeks. This too shall pass, but for now, it is what it is. So, let them be crabby and down and full of angst. "Cheer up" was about the last thing I wanted to hear. But have faith: it's temporary. And, one of the really neat lessons you learn, whether you are aware of it or not, is that you can function and be effective regardless of your feelings. That's a pretty cool (if hard-won) life lesson.
Be well, all,
LAP