It's nearing the end of the semester, and summer is calling you. Unfortunately, so are your final projects, papers and exams.

Take a deep breath in. Now breathe out. It's going to be okay.

There is absolutely no doubt that you will be able to finish that paper or project. Is it due tomorrow? Don't worry, because you still have the rest of today to work on it. Is it due in a week? There's plenty of time to plan it out and perfect it. Write or do a little at a time or a lot if you please, and know you're making progress no matter what you're writing. Is it something you probably shouldn't have put off writing until the last minute? That's fine too, because all that time is in the past, and the longer you spend dwelling on the fact that this time is gone, the less time you'll have today to work on this. Take it a step at a time. Write an outline, or write wildly and edit later. Sit down at the computer and convince that word doc you know what you're talking about because you can and will finish.

Did you finish writing that paper or making that project and think "That was the worst paper/project ever"? At this point, you have no idea how your professor will grade it. Maybe he/she thought it was your best work and wants to reward you for it. Maybe he/she wasn't such a fan, but it's just one grade in one class of one semester. Yeah, it probably seems like a big deal now, but you're done writing and submitting it. You can't turn back time, but you can have faith in yourself and your work.

Is your calculus final making you want to crawl into a hole and never come out? You still have time before finals week, so why not take advantage of it. Ask a friend for help, read the textbook forward and backward or redo all of the practice questions your professor gave you until the numbers on your calculator are worn off. Not everyone has the same strengths, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. It's frustrating to study for hours only to be tripped up by the first question, but you won't let that discourage you. You're going to sit down at that desk the day of your final, and you're going to do your very best to get through each problem. If not, life isn't perfect, and it's definitely not expecting you to be.

Are you having second thoughts about your major? Has going to the classes in your major nearly drained the life out of you? If you're having an awful time, maybe it's time to look into other majors. College is about finding what makes you the happiest and discovering what career you do (and do not) want to have. Try taking classes you may be interested in, and if your parents are trying to stop you from doing what you want, maybe it's time to have a talk with them.

No matter what, you can do it. You've gotten through at least one semester, so you can definitely get through this one, and if this just made you more stressed out, then I guess I don't have a future in motivational speaking.