Most likely if you’re reading this you are one of two people. Either you are a procrastinator that’s only reading this to waste time when you should be studying for organic chemistry, or you are someone who saw this in their carefully planned out 5 minute Facebook break, and felt like they could definitely connect. If you’re the first one screw you, you’re the worst type of person. Just kidding, but you won’t get much out of this article. If you’re the second one then sit back and try to absorb some advice from someone that has trouble heeding it himself sometimes.

1). Calm down. Take a breath. Set the text book down. You can pass chemistry. You can get into the grad schools you want to go to. You can have the future you want. What you can’t do is become so worked up over these courses that you negatively impact your grade, or try to learn the entire course in one red bull and stress filled week. So you don’t get the grade you wanted. You can take it again. Is it depressing? Sure. Does it throw a wrinkle in your plans? Most definitely, but that doesn’t mean it’s a road block. It’s not even a detour, it’s a speed bump.

2). Go out. Go for a walk. Pet some stranger’s dog. Steal said dog and have it by your side as you take over the world. (Don’t do that, unless you think the owner doesn’t love the dog. Then take it and run with that thing.) Sit out on the grass and read a book, go and be irresponsible and carefree for a little bit (don’t go too far, you want to remember everything you spent 10 hours studying earlier). Taking a couple hours to destress and process the material will do more for you then reading it for the 10th time.

3). Stop drinking. This more than definitely applies to some of you. I feel that, I’ve been there. If you’re at this point you either didn’t follow the first two points, or you completely took number two over the limit of what “carefree and irresponsible” is. Drinking can be an awesome way to loosen up and have fun with people, but it should not be the only medicine you use to relieve yourself of pent up stress. Drinking to loosen up a little is fine, it’s when you cross the line into getting incapacitated or blackout every time you go out that you have a problem. Health affects aside, heavy drinking and hangovers will have a much larger effects on your grades and social life then stress ever will. Not to mention you’ll regret the time you spent drinking and get worked up about grades, which will probably push you to drinking again, just repeating a nasty cycle. Just put it down.

4). Be progressive. You can’t learn a book in a day, and you can’t change your chances of good jobs and grad schools by sitting there thinking about it. What you can do is get a tutor to help you with topics you don’t understand. Don’t have the resume to get into some schools? Work in research programs, get a side job during the summer, have an internship. You build your future throughout your life, not in one day. Concerned about terrible milk markets and surplus? Find a way to become more efficient to improve margins, or find a niche market. You’re a young adult, you have loads of potential and can most definitely achieve what you want in your life, but you can’t do it in one day, and you can’t do it while giving yourself an ulcer or liver damage.

-Special thanks to Wayne for writing this awesomely encouraging article!