Week 12 of the semester is finally here, which means a lot of us will be leaving campus in just a few weeks to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas all in the midst of finishing up school online for a couple of weeks.

For college students this is all we’re able to think about and this can be a stressful time for us trying to juggle family situations, social and spiritual life and trying to study for those last minute tests.

I want to remind everyone to take care of themselves and not let stress take over their life.

Remember to stay on top of everything by staying organized. Make sure to go ahead and clear your study space and remove all distractions. Keep a to-do list and allow for certain alloted time for each task so you know what you’re doing. Keep a list of what classes need more study time than others.

Protect your social life. Sometimes we tend to become a hermit crab and drown ourselves in books and review guides. Now I know in a COVID-19 filled world that might be hard to do because of the different measures we must take, but go outside and be active and just relax with some friends for a bit.

I know this might be the hardest one for a lot of us, but please get some decent sleep throughout these next couple of weeks. Sleep will play a vital role as it is needed for our body to function properly. Even a simple nap during the day can help your body function and allows for you to take in the information that you study.

It’ll be hard for a lot of us to go back home and try to continue to do work just like it was in the spring. But now that most places are open, try doing your work in a coffee shop, go to a park or anywhere that’s not your bed. 

Lastly, take some time for yourself. Make sure you eat, take breaks and free your mind from anything that’s going on. 

In all honesty, sometimes when you write stuff like this you’re preaching to yourself and this just happens to be the case for me.

Remember don’t panic during finals; take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand.