As Finals week starts creeping up, the library is starting to fill up and the supply of coffee on campus is starting to increase. The post-Thanksgiving-break-weeks are here and it is even more of a sad time than before break. There is one very important thing that needs to come along with the cramming: mental health.

Mental health is already a huge issue and it is even more relevant during the last three weeks of school. Professors are dropping due dates everywhere, the weather is turning colder and colder and it feels like Winter break is the light at a very loooong tunnel. People, like myself, may crack under the pressure of maintaining that 4.0 and impressing all your friends, family and teachers when you come back from school for a whole month.

People who don't even suffer from depression or anxiety might feel stressed and temporarily depressed. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a real thing and the symptoms include fatigue, depression, social withdraw and hopelessness. It does not help that finals are at the same time that Mother Nature decides to drop 5 inches of snow overnight. Immune systems are also down during winter and finals week, so that crappy feeling you have just adds on.

This time of year just seems super tiring and dreadful, but there are some things you can do to help yourself out these last few weeks. Keep a planner with you these last weeks and write EVERYTHING DOWN: class times, breaks, club meeting, and your exams. Block out time to do things other than studying, it's important to keep stress levels down. Eat well and do not skip meals; by not eating, headaches are going to accompany and just make you even more miserable. Exercise or go for walks around campus to try and keep energy up. Limit sugar and caffeine intake; yes, I know that caffeine is Finals week go-to but caffeine crash with just make you feel worse and tired. Around winter, I know that I feel super cold and pale, so I like going to the tanning salon once or twice a week just to feel the heat and it can actually help against SAD. If you feel too stressed or anxious about exams, there is always someone on campus (like peer support or the counselors at Olin) that you can talk to. Please take care of yourself around finals time and relax over break!

Good luck on all your exams (you'll crush it!)!!!