Its week eight. You're ten lectures behind, you haven't done the readings since week three, and you're thinking to yourself, fuck.

With finals week sneaking up, you realize, wow, I just might have to get my shit together.

Maybe if I sleep with my notes under my pillow, I'll prove that little osmosis theory correct? Maybe if I drink five cups of coffee, I'll have enough energy to get through, like, a few practice problems? Or, maybe, if I just say screw it and go out the night before my exam, I'll know more than I think…

Decisions, decisions. The stress levels go up, and the productivity goes down. However, more often than not, I've realized that stress is the number one hindrance to doing well on an exam – to doing well on anything, really. Go ahead and tell me "I perform well under pressure!!!!" Yeah, right. When push comes to shove, you know you perform the best when you're relaxed, ready.

So, here's a few healthy ways to deal with having to bruincast ten lectures in one day, or catch up on readings you never thought would be useful in real life.

I'm a big list-maker. When I'm stressed, something that really helps me is to just sit down for a minute, sort out everything I need to do, and make a FAT list of assignments and deadlines. Even if they aren't assignments – maybe they're the ways you want to study – having a plan to sort out your priorities is always a relief. This way, you can focus on what is due first, compartmentalize your time, and stick to a schedule. Making a list and crossing things off is scientifically proven to boost your feelings of success and productivity. We think that achieving our goals will make us happy, but it is truly the progress towards our goals that make us happy. Happiness occurs in response to our relative situations, so progress and improvement matter more than absolute levels.

You've heard this before, and you're going to hear it again: Give. Yourself. Time. The worst thing I have done to myself is wait until the last minute to study for two exams that are a day apart. It goes back to my last suggestion… plan! When the week before your first exam starts approaching, make a note of how much time you need to study and how much time you actually have. Being real with yourself and keeping your expectations high can only benefit you.

Lastly, I would say to make sure that you're not just studying. Plan your time so that you can incorporate other things into your life during your study time – make time to go to the gym, to get food with friends, to do things that can get your mind off of school for a few hours at a time. Keeping that balance is soo important! Everyone gets burned out, and a burn-out during finals week because you haven't taken your eyes off of your computer screen for 12+ hours is definitely not fun, nor productive, nor good for your physical or mental health. Take care of yourself first, and everything else will fall into place.