Hello friend,

If you're reading this right now, you're probably trying to avoid studying, or maybe you're taking a break from studying. You probably saw this article in your Facebook feed, and in an effort to relax or numb our minds, we just scroll, and scroll, and scroll...

Until we're back to that Instagram post that we saw this morning when we first checked our phones. The cycle doesn't really stop until we fall asleep, or until we've run out of platforms to go through.

Whether you're a graduating senior, or a freshmen experiencing their first bite of finals, you know that this is an incredibly stressful time. You've been in the library for hours. You haven't slept more than six hours this whole week. The words in your textbook and your presentations are starting to blend together. You probably have drank more water than coffee. Your legs have fallen asleep multiple times today because you only get up to go the bathroom, refill your beverage of choice, and then get right back into the grind.

Since I have you for a few minutes, I'd like to take the time to let you breathe. Let me breathe. Let us all breathe.

We always say to one another that grades don't matter, that grades don't define who we are. We all joke, "C's get degrees." If those little sayings are getting you through finals week, then that's awesome. You keep living your life, and you don't need to read the rest of this article (unless you've run out of other things to go through, then you're welcomed to stay.)

But if you're like me, and you smile when people say that, you know in the pit of your chest that every grade matters. For some people, you can't even get into a specific college in campus without a specific grade, so yes, my grades may not define me, but they may define my future. There really isn't anything comforting to say about that. Grades eat at us. They rob us of sleep. They rob of us of our health. We get so absorbed about how we did, our how GPA's are. Can I get into grad school with these grades? Can I get a job with these grades? Can I get into med school, or vet school? Can I survive with these grades?

I don't have those answers for you. You're probably doing just fine, and that's great. I am not here to give you the answers, though I wish you could. In this whirlwind of finals, and grades, and semesters ending, I just wanted to give you a space to breathe, gather yourself, let your mind go numb, and maybe close your eyes. You can do this. You can power through this week. You can make it till Friday. You will. You know you will. But until then, it is okay to cry, to complain, and to just get emotional. We all understand each other's stress, our pain, our exhaustion, and our lack of sanity. Whether it's your final week, or just finals week, it's almost done. The semester is so close to being over.

Don't worry, it is hell right now but I promise you it'll be over so soon. Not soon enough, but sooner than you think. Come on, let's go out there, let's kick Finals Week's ass.

XO