A new semester means new classes, new people, and new homework. Without fail, about a month into a new semester, the week from the underworld hits. This week typically lends itself to tears, panic attacks, all-nighters, and my all-time favorite, meaningless declarations of dropping out. Whether you're going through this time in your semester or not, we all have stressful weeks. Learning to handle stress in a healthy and safe way is a skill our nation is lacking. According to the Haas Wellness Center, stress is known as the silent killer and can lead to countless diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pain, migraines and more. When your worst week hits, here are some tips to keep you calm, cool, and collected.

1. Make A List and Check It Twice.

Organizing your daily tasks and crossing them off when they're finished helps you keep track of what needs to be accomplished. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to cross off your entire list.

2. Eat Well and Drink Tons of Water.

Eating well leads to feeling well. Making a substantial effort to eat well and drink water leaves your brain ready to complete your tasks. Eating well will allow you to get the most out of a deeper sleep, have a better attitude and once again, decreased stress.

3. Shower Often.

Taking a break to shower, clear your mind and sing at the top of your lungs is hugely beneficial. Never be "too busy" to clean your mind and body. Those ten minutes can make all the difference.

4. Spoil Yourself.

If your week is filled with work and obligation, make time to spoil yourself. Put on a facemask while reading, light a candle, buy new essential oils, whatever it is, small ways of spoiling yourself helps soften the blow of constantly stressful expectations.

5. Take Study/Work Breaks.

Our brains work best when given breaks. Letting yourself breathe and break from work will leave you substantially more productive in the long run.

6. Limit Your Work to Specific Hours.

Working from sunrise to sunset and pulling all-nighters is not going to make you any smarter. Keep yourself on a schedule and you'll be way more appreciative of the time you get to rest.

7. Sleep.

Sleep is SO important. Missing out on proper rest leads to illness, anger and a lack of general brain power. Any professor or boss will tell you that sleeping rather than cramming is preferred 10-1.

8. Log Out of Social Media.

Social media is a HUGE distraction. I can't even tell you the amount of time I've found myself wasting endless hours on Instagram and have ended up even more stressed than before. Log out of your social media during crunch time, you'll thank yourself later.

9. Listen to Relaxing Music.

People often make the mistake of listening to stressful music while doing homework. As corny as it sounds, listening to a little classical music while reading will allow you to stay on task and feel relaxed along the way.

10. Meditate

Meditation is taken for granted time and time again. Watch a YouTube video, listen to a podcast or read an article. There are so many ways to meditate and before you know it, you'll start to see the benefits.

Stress Kills. Taking the time to focus on your mental health and destress from a long week leads to increased productivity and an all-around happier life. There are many simple ways to eliminate stress or even make stressful activities easier to manage. Taking the time to rest, eat well or even shower will make your impossible week feel sib