For many high school and college students, finals are rapidly approaching. It's a stressful time, when we all scramble to finish last-minute assignments, and cram to study for our final exams. We reach a point where we're not sure if laughing or crying is more appropriate, so both oftentimes occur.
As stressful as finals week is, we're still able to find humor in the little things. The kinds of things that ordinarily wouldn't be funny, become funny. Laughter is good - especially in times that are usually stressful, anxiety-provoking, overwhelming, confusing, daunting, and sometimes seemingly impossible.
Here are people's reactions to finals week, as told by Disney...
Headaches: we all get them. Headaches triggered by stress, not enough sleep, too much coffee, allergies, or a combination of the above. It just won't go away.
Late-night giggles: you know it happens. You reach a point where you're totally done with studying, and the only thing you can do is goof off and laugh.
Forgotten assignments: you think you have everything under control, that you're finally caught up, but sometimes you forget about a certain assignment or quiz.
Choosing priorities: you could take a nap, eat, or study more. So hard to choose. There's not enough time in the day for everything.
Stress eating: Forget study breaks. Try snack breaks - you break from snacking to study for a little while.
Distractions: why is it none of your friends seem to have any studying or schoolwork to do? You try to stay focused, but the struggle is real.
The day of the final: it's come, and there's no turning back. Ready or not, you have to take the exam. There's nowhere to turn.
Fear of getting caught: you know cheating is wrong, and don't cheat, but when your professor reminds the class to keep their eyes on their own papers, you can't help but worry she's talking to you.
The questions you don't know: they always happen. Teachers throw in an oddball question, and you have no idea at all what the answer could be.
After the exam: when we finally finish exams, we're too tired to celebrate. We go home and sleep for the next few weeks. And how good it feels, when we wake up rested and refreshed.
Keep managing your time, try your best, and persevere. Christmas break is only a few weeks away. Stay organized, and on top of things. As my Anthropology professor used to say, enjoy this "celebration of knowledge."
Best of luck on finals, everyone! Mary, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us. St. Joseph Cupertino, patron saint of test takers, pray for us.
