As of today, I have a paper, group project, Scaremare recruitment, Thesis research edits, GSA work, essays, case studies, presentations and a full lesson plan to do.

You could say I'm a little stressed.

Every semester I hit two major roadblocks: the middle and the end.

I'm not the smartest kid around. I'm certainly not smarter than most of my friends. But between private school, homeschooling and quite a few years of college, I'd say I've done a decent job of developing some key principles that help me to stay on top of things in these stressful seasons of academia. Hopefully, they'll help you too:

1. Work in shifts.

I'm not referring to just being a normal person and planning a respectable schedule. Chances are if you're reading this, you're past that point. No, this is about giving your brain a serious break during that all-nighter with your venti ice coffee. Your brain and body need breaks. Sitting at your desk for hours and hours until your eyes are nothing more than scrambled eggs in the pan of your face is not the way to go. The deeper cognitive areas of our brains are actually set up almost like a "factory" of sorts. It takes a while to get it running, but once we do, we only have a set amount of time before it burns out and we need to do something more "sensory" that falls on the other part of our brain. That half handles things that are nearly mindless and automatic for us (hence, requiring little cognitive effort from the other half of the brain). So go take a walk, play a few video games, call a friend.

Or call a friend while walking and playing video games. Whatever floats your goat.

Then dive back into it. I guarantee you'll feel way better.

2. Learn to say "no."

I know it is a struggle to put the social life on hold, but if you're in school (especially college), academics have to come first (at least most of the time). I pride myself in having a schedule that almost always allows for friend interruptions. But I only allow interruptions if I know I have enough time to finish that paper I've been dreading. Otherwise, I have to make plans that are better for me, even if it means disappointing others!

So while it might be a struggle to turn down that party or dinner, if you can look yourself in the mirror and say "I absolutely have time for this," then go for it. Otherwise...I guess you better ask them to pray for you before they eat, while you sit and heat up your 6th bowl of ramen.

3. Take care of yourself before the mega study-binges.

I have this thing I call "Overdrive Mode." You've probably experienced it. It's where you have taken care of yourself physically for a while (usually at least a few days), and so your body is prepared to take some punishment should it need to. If you get 8+ hours of sleep for a few days, and have been eating right...then you will have a much easier time waking up after those measly 3 hours the night before a big presentation or exam. In fact, I've had times where I'll wake up after those 3 hours feeling just as refreshed as if I'd had 8, because of the adrenaline rush. That's what I call "Overdrive Mode," where you're functioning at peak performance when you really shouldn't be.

But your body can only handle so much. Days of that in a row will surely drive you into the mud. So be vigilant about caring for yourself. You never know when you'll have to kick into overdrive mode, and it's a freaking blessing to have if you've ensured you'll have it on standby.

4. Ask for help.

This is especially true in group projects, but applies to other areas as well. In group projects, the team is there to help you, and you hopefully will be able to lean on them and ask for assistance. For other things like papers, projects, or tests, go to classmates or professors and ask for clarification or help on what may be holding you up. Focus with them on the things that seem the most impossible (a major project, for example). Usually, those are the things causing the majority of the stress, not the small stuff. If a professor helps to distill some of the fear and anxiety surrounding that, it may even inspire you to be able to get it (or something a little less time-demanding) done. You are not alone in this. Go to the person (or people) who you know will give you a leg up in the area you need it. Don't isolate.

5. Take a deep breath...it's just college.

Yeah, it's driving you nuts and keeping you awake into the wee hours of the morning right now. But in the grand scheme of things...it's college. God is so much bigger than college. He has plans for you regardless of how you're doing now. And so often, we get hyper-focused on today and forget about how big He is and how much He loves us. So if you're driving yourself nuts, don't hesitate to pull away and just get with God. Do whatever you need to: yell, scream, cry...whatever your stress has got you feeling. Get with Him and tell Him you need His help. And then take a deep breath, and do what you can to let it go.