Ah, the most wonderful time of year has finally arrived! We just had Thanksgiving, and now we're gearing up for Christmas, New Years, and the month-long winter break that we students so desperately crave and desire. While all of this certainly sounds fantastic, there is one SMALL detail I left out...FINALS. After hearing that word, it doesn't sound much like this is a very wonderful time of year. Finals is actually the time of year that us students fear most, unless you're the 1% of us that has completely stayed on top of your academics and subsequently your life. If you're one of those people, kudos to you! Now, back to the other 99% of us who are scared shitless for the inevitable final(s) coming up within the next two weeks. To all of you students, I am right there with you!

Our brains have either shut down, hit panic mode, or both. We're beginning to seriously neglect our health, laundry, school work, etc. We're looking for the light at the end of this seemingly everlasting tunnel. Frankly, it's crunch time people! So, in order to keep our heads up and keep crunching rather than wondering how much money we'd receive if we were hit by a University vehicle (maybe that one is just me lol), here are some motivational thoughts to get you through hell...I mean finals*.

1. When this is over, you get to go home to your pets!

2. Imagine how good a home-cooked meal is going to taste after three months of University food.

3. "Pain is temporary, your GPA is forever"

4. One day, you will sit in your HUGE mansion with your spouse and family and look back at these times and laugh (let's hope).

5. Think of the feeling of the EXACT moment when you get home and fall onto your bed.

6. Christmas is less than one month away!

7. Speaking of Christmas...ABC Family/Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas on television!

8. You've made it this far without dying or failing out, so you might as well just finish it!

9. Even if you do fail, your pets will still love you (I say pets, because sometimes parents take this whole "failing" thing a little seriously)

10. You will be home long enough over winter break to not have to live out of a suitcase in your own house!

11. After you take that final, you are done with that class, and possibly that professor forever!

12. You've made it farther in life than at least one of your family members (we all have at least one of those types of family members)

13. Chances are your drained bank account will have a chance to be revived over break.

14. You're about one month away from getting to say "New year, new me" and completely reinventing yourself before you have to come back next semester.

15. Know that all of these hours of pain and fear and mental-breakdowns are all going to be worth it in the long run when you get your dream job/career.

16. Think of that fat stack of cash you'll get when you sell your books back (even though we all know the school and book companies rip us off)

17. You will be able to de-activate all 5,000 alarms on your phone come winter break. You can really just have a sleep-a-thon if you want.

18. Know that literally every other kid around you is struggling just as much as you are, if not more.

19. Prepare to binge-watch your favorite show on Netflix after all of this!

20. Remember that at the absolute end of the day, grades are JUST NUMBERS. They are not real, and they do NOT define you as a person (I cannot stress this last point enough).

So, while we all may feel like we are all slowly walking into the slaughter house that is finals week, it truly isn't as bad as we might think. For most of us, come December 16th, we will be able to suck in the biggest fresh breath of air we've had in over three months. You know how the saying goes, "What doesn't kill you make's you stronger". So let's gear up and literally "slay" our finals. Good luck to all, I'll be rooting for each and every one of you!