Finals week is upon us again and somehow, no matter how many times we've done this, it never gets better.
It starts when you realize you have three essays due in addition to your final exams and you can't afford to take the week off work to study.
The mountain of work seems impossible. You don't know where to start, and when you do start, it feels like you're just making things up, and you have no confidence whatsoever that you're on the right track.
The stress is real and it is so tempting just to sleep or binge watch your favorite show to escape it.
And when you see other students around campus who are like...happy!? What is that!? They must be superhuman, and you start to wonder what it would be like to have your life together.
The realization that nonstop studying might actually be making you dumber. It feels like you're Un-learning things as you go back over old notes and assignments.
When you finally accept that you're only human and you're not invincible and that it might be okay to take a break and cut yourself some slack. Oh, and don't forget to reward yourself, you deserve it!
And then when you can't keep up the denial anymore, you put on a brave face, but you won't really be okay until this week is over.
The books, the writing, the hand cramps, the caffeine overdose, the sleepless nights, and the junk food -- it's all a wonderful recipe for an unhealthy mental state. Yay.
But finally, FINALLY, you make it through your last final, and suddenly you can see the sun again. There is joy in the world again. Friends? Oh, yeah, them! They'll be so happy to see you again. It's time to dance out the stress of the last week.
And you never really doubted that you'd ace all your finals. You rock.
It's time to celebrate winter break! Let loose and party hard...just not too hard.
Don't forget to take care of yourself this week as you're taking care of business. School is important, but you are more important. So take breaks, let yourself sleep and relax, eat actual meals as opposed to just vending machine food and breathe knowing that your grades do not define you.