Ah, November. It’s the second half of the semester, midterms are over, final projects are rolling out. And for some, there might be some surprises that will throw you off and send you into a stressful tizzy that will make you hibernate in your room with Netflix and coffee and not want to leave. So what do you do when an assignment suddenly appears, your laptop overheats, there’s a problem at home, or some other emergency surprises you?

1. Stay calm. I’ve found that going into an emotional state does not usually help with immediate problems. The calmer you are, the more levelled your head is, and you can decide what the best course of action will be

2. Let it out. Once you have a game plan, and a solution, or a partial solution is in sight, it’s okay to get emotional for a little while. Bottling up emotions will only explode more violently later. This method of catharsis is often only temporary, and I wouldn’t let it get in the way of the final solution. By letting out emotions now, the less likely it will come up later when you are executing your plan.

3. Just do it. You hate making phone calls and need to make a phone call? Too bad. (This is speaking from personal experience). Just do it! Do your research as needed. Make that phone call. Get the facts. Take some action. You don’t want to feel like this forever.

4. Go to your support network. If you don’t have one, make one. Go to the people you trust the most, the ones who can make you feel better no matter what. Many people would be able to empathize or sympathize with your situation.

5. If it’s avoidable, don’t do it again. I’m speaking to all the students out there right now who have a history of procrastinating. Some suddenly surprising stressful situations are unavoidable. But if it’s something you can change by just being a little more on top of your game, I would recommend being on top of your game.

6. Learn. There’s a lesson in every tragedy or accident. Maybe there was something you should have double-checked. Maybe there was something different you could have done, even something you would not have thought of before the accident. If it’s something you can prevent, don’t let it happen again and find yourself in the same situation.

I hope nothing big or bad happens to any of you in this semester. But life happens. Last semester for me was an overheated laptop containing many of my long-term projects. This semester is something a little different, a complete accident on its way to being resolved. It still shook me up and I found my way going through all six of these steps. But two weeks later, I’m feeling a bit better. Stay smart in these last few weeks of the semester. It’s not over yet.