Welcome to midterms, where right before your eyes, King Library becomes your home, coffee becomes your lifeline, and “fun” officially leaves your vocabulary. Not to worry, though, there is hope! As a senior, I’ve gone through my fair share of midterm papers, exams, and projects. What I’ve gathered from these tireless weeks is that there is hope! Now, I’m not saying that I’m going to teach you how to get through finals week like everything is rainbows and butterflies, but I’m going to give you some helpful hints to stay sane. Although, it all comes down to how committed you want to be to attaining a stress-free state

1. Set aside one hour every day to do absolutely nothing

I don’t care if you’re staring at the ceiling, just step away from the textbooks. Watch a couple episodes of your favorite Netflix show or just straight-up take a nap.

2. Treat yourself

It feels like that chocolate donut at King Café is staring straight through your soul. A chocolate-sprinkled donut to get you through the rest of your studying? Well, go out and get yourself a freakin’ donut.

3. Drink tea

I don’t care if you look like a pretentious grandma, tea solves problems. Drink that stuff up because it's been proven that it can seriously, seriously reduce stress levels!!

4. Go for a walk

Get out and smell the roses, people! Fresh air can give you time to move that body and also declutter your mind. Maybe halfway into your walk you'll realize that there’s more to life than what’s on your Canvas reminder list.

5. Burn candles

It’s fall and that means there is a plethora of yummy-smelling candles in stores just waiting to be bought and lit up. Here is my absolute favorite!

6. Wear a cozy sweatshirt

Is there anything better? Tell me, though, because I would really like to know if there is a better feeling than being wrapped in your favorite sweatshirt with the hood tied up around your face (judge me). Go out and buy a good ol' Red Hawk sweatshirt. It's not lame; it's cool!

7. Hug people

Sometimes all you really need is a big ol’ squeeze from … well, like, anyone. Not any creepers, though; that’ll just stress you out more. Take it from this lady!

8. Do yoga

If you don’t walk out of the yoga studio feeling zen, centered, and ready to return to your studies, then repeat the following steps and take another class. Make sure you’re paying attention to your breathing. This is your prime time to hit up Root Yoga.

9. Have a glass of wine

If you are of legal age, a nice glass of red wine next to your laptop as your crank out a midterm paper can actually be a very relaxing experience. Let's stick to just one glass, though.

10. Vent to mom and dad

They’ll love you no matter what. So go ahead and whine about how difficult your exam schedule is and how beyond annoyed you are with your professors. Face it, your parents love the crap out of you, so they'll be more than happy to lend an ear.

It’s gonna be a-okay, everyone, trust me! Hugs all around. Hang in there, the light at the end of the tunnel will appear, I promise.