Stressing out is one of the many things I know how to do best. We’re five weeks from another semester ending and I’m not ready. Mostly because I’m so stressed that I'm behind on all the work I have to be doing, and yet I keep putting it off. Stressing is very normal but it can lead to greater problems. The more stress you are the more you're prone to getting ill. For me, It leads to more procrastination, and lack of motivation. When dealing with a stress of any kind, take a moment to realize your top priorities. Having a sense of control can make a whole lot of difference, so the key to having a stress-free semester is to organize your work.

One of the things I have learned is that once you’re organized, you’re less overwhelmed. Some things I would do to stay organized is having a calendar and writing down everything I have to do for the week, adding and checking out tasks. Another thing that’s helpful is to do things as soon as you can so your workload doesn't pile up closer to deadlines. Lately, I've been so lazy that I haven’t been following my own rules.

Find out what causes your stress, finding the source can be helpful in figuring out what you need to do to relax. Some other ways you could tell if you are stressed is if you are having trouble sleeping and if you have body aches, even if you have trouble concentrating. Maybe you are stressing out about finals week, like me. It’s so stressful because you have to study for not one but multiple exams on the same week, you have to start packing because you are also moving out and you start worrying about the upcoming year. Maybe you're stressing about that job interview or a 10-page paper. Even though so much is on your shoulders, don’t forget to take care of yourself.

As it starts getting closer to the end of the school year, student’s start losing motivation, some things I would suggest doing to destress is to…

• Do things that you enjoy more often!
• Take a break once in awhile and do something non-educational
• Go talk to your friends or go out and make new ones
• Binge watch your favorite TV show on Netflix
• Reread your favorite book
• Squeeze in enough naps, get more sleep
• Bake cookies, bake anything really!
• Drink tea, limit caffeine
• Take a long bath/shower
• Eat well-balanced meals
• Go to the gym
• Take many, many mini breaks
• Laugh a little

Try some of these out and see if they work (they do for me!). Remember, everyone goes through stress, some more than others and we can't always control what happens to us. Just maintain a positive attitude. You can do it! I believe in you!!