College is supposed to be the best time of your life, and if you stay positive about things, it most certainly will be the most fun and meaningful time of your life. However, we all have those days when we feel like nothing is going right, how will I ever get this work done, and we just get overwhelmed. So, here are some of my tips to stay sane during the toughest part of the semester.

1. Learn to Balance

I know, I know. The workload in college seems to have no end. You've got a million things to do, in addition to going to class, doing your homework, studying, working, socializing, and participating in any outside events that you do. But If you're anything like me, by the time you get out of class, your brain is so fried, and your body so tired, that you just want to go to go crawling back your bed. Part of this problem, is that we all get caught up in one giant aspect of our lives, whether it's the party scene, or socializing, or organizations that we're involved in. I know that the thing I get hung upon the most is my grades and my schoolwork, because I am an absolute perfectionist, and I tend to forget sometimes that there is more to life than just having perfect grades. But the point is, we get so tangled up in things like this that we forget to take time for ourselves. As a first-year college student, its important to test the waters, to figure out what works for you, and what doesn't. But to do able to do that, we have to learn to balance the different aspects of our lives, some of which require more attention than others. So, is this an incentive to drop all your homework and go to that party tonight? No. But it is an incentive to get your life balanced, so that you do everything you want, with time to spare.

2. Give Yourself A Break

Everyone has gotten stressed out at some point, and while it's a normal occurrence, how we handle it changes significantly when we get to college. Unlike our high school days, we can't just stay in bed or put our lives on hold, because that's not what being on your own is all about. We must learn how to deal with the everyday stresses of life, and this is something that some people struggle with. I for example, don't realize how tense or stressed out I am until I step away from my work, and feel immediate relief from it. So, to keep from becoming too bogged down, do something that make YOU happy. Whether that's' sleeping , watching Netflix, or simply getting out of the house/dorm, if it calms you down, do it. I know that with me, I like to go the gym whenever I get the chance, not just because I like to stay in shape, but because it helps me work off the frustrations of the day. Being able to give yourself a break will always ring true, but especially when finals or exams of any kind roll around. It is a stressful time for everyone, but you can change how you handle it, into a healthy habit, and something that makes you happy. Another personal example, my boyfriend and I have started a tradition of going to the pool or hot tub (mostly the hot tub) after any exams that we have, because we figured out that being able to just sit down and blow off some steam (literally) really helps to mellow us out. So to recap, do something, anything that calms you down or makes you happy, just make sure you do SOMETHING.

3. Get Enough Sleep

This should be an obvious one. Not only is sleep important for maintaining optimal health, but it also makes life that much harder if you don't get enough, or any at all. Make every effort you can to get whatever needs to be done, done, and get in the bed. Yes, I know tat I said "take time for yourself" but don't sell your sleep time just so you can watch a couple episodes of something on Netflix. Your body needs rest, and with schedules like most of us college students have, it needs it more than ever. If you don't get enough sleep, you will not only look lousy, but you will feel it as well, and when you're lousy, you won't feel like putting your best foot forward. Knowing that you are not doing anything near what your capable of is bad enough to make to you feel miserable.

4. Get Involved

You heard it in high school, and you're going to hear it again. Get involved. Don't do it just because you've heard the great things that it does for a resume, but do it to have something to fall back on. It's no fun just doing homework all of the time, so being able to get involved with something that you love will not only give you an escape route from your hectic schoolwork, but it will also allow you to make new friends, and like many movies and TV shows have shown us, life is more fun and more doable in groups.

5. Start And End Your Day On A Good Note

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a positive outlook. Not only is life boring if you're sad all the time, but it makes it so much harder than it has to be. Before you lay down to go to sleep at night, try to fill your head with positive thoughts. What made you happy today? What exciting things do you have coming up soon? I make a point to do this every single night, because I believe that if you end your day believing that good things will happen, and wakeup telling yourself the same thing, the power of belief and what it will do for your life is unbelievable.