It's that time of year, folks. That's right! The time of year where stress sits on the front porch of all of our doorsteps. It's the time where every spare second is spent looking over notes, editing that paper due in ten minutes, or sending yet another email. Between trying to register for classes, finishing up midterms, completing current homework assignments, working, avoiding illness, and staying involved, it seems impossible to get any rest. Ahh yes, it’s mid-semester.

Mid-semester seems like the breaking point for many of us. For me personally, I think it might be the toughest mid-semester point yet. I decided to get very involved this semester, which I love very much. However, between midterms, homework, meetings, my job, and office hours, I feel like sometimes I am losing my mind. I haven’t really slept much, and I am almost certain that my blood is made up of mostly coffee. Every time I get into bed, I count how many hours of sleep I am going to get if I fall asleep in two minutes (it’s never really more than five).

I feel like it’s been even more difficult because when I have a spare minute, my friends don’t really have one. They’re all pretty heavily involved as well. If they aren’t in class, dance, the gym, the math building, in a meeting, or working, they are studying and doing homework. In one of my rare spare moments last week, I was talking to two of my friends in line at Bean & Bagel (seriously, college students run on coffee). We were joking about how this time of the semester was similar to running a race backward with your ankles tied together while trying to juggle flaming batons and catching things being thrown at you all while being blindfolded. We laughed a little, then ordered our coffee and ran off to our next class. Although I don’t see my friends as much as I’d like to, I can always count on them for a quick laugh and a nice hug to give me some extra pep in my step for the rest of the day.

What’s keeping me sane is knowing that the mid-semester is almost over. I know that days of relaxation and a good night of sleep is ahead. What is really helpful for me is taking some time to myself to regather, even if its just a minute or two. I’ll lip-sync to a Disney song on my way to my next destination just to feel a little silly. Before class starts, I’ll often take three deep breaths to slow myself down before chaos begins again. When things start to be really stressful, I’ll give my mom a call just to say hi. Even though these things don’t seem like much, I feel like it helps me feel like a person after running around like a madman.

So, to my fellow students who are at this point in the semester, don’t forget to take a minute to yourself! Sing a silly song, take some deep breaths, grab some coffee, and remind yourself that it’s almost over. I wish you all the best of luck, and may the curve be ever in your favor!