Take a step back. Breathe. Relax. Finals are approaching, the stress of succeeding weighing you down. Finals, midterms and papers are the worst things at a trimester school, because there are times where it seems that you can never escape from studying and testing. We are all worried about our GPAs, how it will reflect upon future applications, how classes will curve and how awful exams will be. Before you get too stressed out and miserable, take a step back and understand the situation.

Finals week is going to be very stressful, but there’s no way to avoid the hectic seven days that roll around each quarter. Whether you are cramming microbiology, reading Freud, or freaking out about how little you actually understand about econometrics, there is going to be so much to do. The first step is to realize all that you need to learn, how it will play into your final grade, and then what is the most effective way to prepare for said exam. Yes, it is all very important, but if you are unproductively studying, or are overexerting yourself, you probably won’t accomplish the most that you could. Make a game plan regarding how and what to study, organize times in which you study and work on a bit of each pressing class per day, and try not to freak out; all of those can help you be the most productive student in anticipation of the upcoming test.

Despite all of the finals, take a few minutes to relax and unwind. Mental health is very important, and there’s a very dark place that loads of work and stress can lead you into, but with a few minutes to yourself everyday can not only help you avoid the darkness, but also ease all of the stress that might be accumulating, leaving you more lighthearted. Watch an episode of your favorite show, eat a slice of decadent chocolate cake, go for run, buy something special that you deserve after all of the hard work that you are putting in. Whatever it is, you deserve it. Dedicate either a few minutes or an hour a day to something enjoyable, and that can transform your finals week.

Finals weeks will come each quarter, three times a year at least. There’s no way to avoid it, and there’s only two ways to have it. Either you maximize productively, maximize mental health, and stay stressed, but happy, or you leave it unhappy, upset, and even more stressed about upcoming quarters.

Mental health is a necessity. There have been studies, experiments, research, all in which, it showed that mental stress created debilitating situations. Keep in mind in a few key things as the final builds up, that not only is education a privilege, perfection is impossible, remember that you are not alone, and you are so much more than just a number that your grades define. You are incredible, successful, talented, and you are better than the final outcomes of all the end-of-semester evaluations.