Lately I, and I can assume many other people especially students, are just feeling burnt out. We are so close to the end of the semester that we can taste the finish line (and the finals).

However, when it comes to the end of the semester that means there is always more pressure to get those projects that you were told about at the beginning of the semester, but you decided to procrastinate until two weeks out. Of course you will not learn from this semester, but rather just keep doing it every semester and continually stress out.

I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, some people need pressure to get stuff done, and others need time to think out their plan. Whatever you've gotta do, go and do it.

Then there are these reservations about the holiday season coming upon us. It can be a great time to spend with your loved ones, maybe take a few days off to just chill on the couch and not have to worry about school problems. This is also time where you might have to encounter family or other people that you really don't want to, but because it's the holidays you are stuck in the same room as them for a couple hours. This is the time where your family asks you the same questions over and over. "What are you majoring in? What do you want to do with that? Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?" This list could probably go on and on. Granted we shouldn't really blame them, especially when they are people who don't see us on a regular basis, but getting it over and over can be tiresome and annoying.

Here are some of the things that I do to calm down and maybe get back on track of where I need to be mentally.

I have found myself trying to de-stress and relax, even just for ten minutes, more and more. For me, drinking tea can really make me slow down and take a minute to center myself and maybe get me back on the right track that I need for me to be productive again. Or even after just a hard day, it's a way to let my nerves go away and just indulge myself in that tea.

I also listen to certain songs that I know will make me calm. I tend to turn off all the lights that I can, lay down, close my eyes and play that song. I try to clear my mind of the current worries and just get lost in that song. Then when I get back up, I usually find that I am able to continue working on my paper or whatever homework I have to complete at that time. It is amazing what being creative can do for a person. Dancing, singing, drawing, any other form, can really make the brain juices flow and get you back on track.

Of course, sometimes you just need to take a couple hours or a night off. Hanging out with my friends and just laughing or doing whatever it is that we are doing that night is so satisfying. It reminds you that you have people cheering for you, no matter what is going on in your life or theirs. You can vent with them about the amount of projects you have, or just laugh and play Mario Party. It's a good thing to remind yourself that it is OK to take time for yourself. As the saying goes, "Work Hard, Play Hard."

Stuff happens in life where you feel like you are just going to get burnt out before you get everything done. It happens to us all, but the important thing to remember is that you have gotten through it before, there is no reason to think that you can't get through it now.