Over the past few weeks, I have found myself overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and to-do lists that are multiple pages long. As finals approach, professors try to fit in all of the last-minute grades, tests, and presentations as they all pile up on my desk and clutter my thinking. I rely on Google Calendar to plan out my days, all the way down to the 15-minute lunch break between work and classes. Life can be incredibly hectic around this time of year, but it is so important to take a deep breath and give thanks.

Look around you.

You are on a beautiful college campus surrounded by free spirits and tons of friends. You live in a liberating city with gorgeous mountains that are springing into vibrant color. Stop staring at pale library walls so long that you don't look outside and take in the sunshine; a 30-minute break will not kill you.

The to-do list has to end at some point

Though the sticky notes and chicken scratch handwriting seem to never end, you will get to the point where you cross off the last thing and can finally take a deep breath. Do not forget to breathe before then. God will never give you too much to do without the resources to do it. You may lose an hour of sleep or have to sacrifice going out on Friday night, but soon it will be summer and you can finally take the break you have been dreaming of over textbooks and index cards.

You are not defined by your grades.

How much information you can store on flashcards and scan into your brain does not determine what kind of person you are. Some people will be able to memorize the whole textbook when you can’t get past the table of contents, but that does not make them better than you. It makes them different than you. Every person in the anxiety-filled exam room is different. No one is made to do the exact same thing, and unfortunately, today’s education system does not encompass that.

So, you fail an exam. I am not going to say that does not suck; it sucks a lot. The good news is, a hot bubble bath and a nice cup of tea will be just as good, no matter what you made on the exam. You overslept. Alarm clocks are faulty and make mistakes, but so do other humans, so you are not alone. It is the day before your huge chemistry exam, and all you can do is think about watching Netflix and closing the textbook you have been staring at for the past 72 hours. Walk away. Take care of yourself first. You may learn an extra formula or two by studying a little bit longer, but I can promise you won’t ace a test you’re falling asleep in. Making a C as your final grade may not be ideal, but it is far from the end of the world. Please do your best. Study a little longer than you thought possible, and then give yourself a break. I can assure you that you will benefit from loving yourself in the long run. Even if you find happiness in seeing a good grade or knowing all the elements on the periodic table, your identity is not found in what you produce.

Your mental health comes first.

All of these assignments being thrown at you at once can be overwhelming and make you feel like you are suffocating under the weight agendas. Remember that even though you would like to think you are superhuman, you cannot fuel your body with something that drains it. When you feel overwhelmed, step away and take a nap, read a book, go for a walk. Prioritize yourself before anything else.

The last month of school is a constant countdown until the upcoming weekend, and marking days off of your calendar until summer break can officially show its face. Take a minute to give thanks and look at the world around you; I promise it will pay off.