The last three or four weeks of any semester are the most difficult because they are full of presentations, final projects, and celebrations as well. Towards the end of the fall semester there are two types of energy working simultaneously—nervous energy and festive, optimistic energy. The second comes from the holidays being right around the corner and the desire to celebrate accomplishments, while the first comes from constantly thinking of all the steps that need to be completed correctly to get to that point.

Over Thanksgiving Break, we have the chance to forget a little of the nervous energy and embrace the holiday energy as we spend time with loved ones and forget about classwork. It is much needed break, because the first ten to eleven weeks of the semester had plenty of their own challenges. Sometimes it feels like Thanksgiving should mark the end of the semester. It seems silly just to go back to school for just a couple of weeks, but it is the wrong time to lose motivation.

The best thing to do is see those two to three weeks as a power hour. Find the second or third wind and spend a few moments over break thinking about why the classes you are taking mattered to you in the first place and hold onto those motivations. Having a little taste of home can be enough to put any student in long term break mode early. Do not let that happen.

Find the balance between the nervous energy and the holiday energy. Recognize that the appropriate number of hours to be in the library may not be all hours but just a fraction. Do not forget to reward yourself for the incredible amount of work you get done. It may seem disconcerting to work hard and know that there is still plenty more to be done, but take breaks to be with friends and enjoy Holiday Cookie Swaps or Tree Lighting Ceremonies.

Use the ‘Holiday Spirit’ to brighten your mood about your schoolwork. Even if tensions are high among friends, roommates, and suitemates, the break should have offered a chance to regain some patience. Try not to let drama fill the air along with test anxiety and sugarplums. It’s a good time to embrace forgiveness, and let small differences go by the wayside. During these three weeks everyone will be better off for it.

Avoid playing the “I’m more stressed out than you and I have more of a reason to complain than you, because…” game. Accept that everyone deals differently with stress, and each person has a different level of stress that he or she can handle. Be sympathetic, because all college students know it can be tough, and try not to be snippy with the people who did not fill their plates as much as you.

It is one of the more difficult balances, but it is good practice for the real world where many major deadlines tend to expire at midnight on New Year’s Day. Therefore, the last couple of months leading up to those deadlines will promise to be hectic; might as well get used to it now. The best thing to do for these next two weeks is to choose to be happy no matter what happens; it is the one thing that every person can control and the positivity despite the nervousness will remind you of the value in each of your endeavors.