"Everything is going to be OKAY"

            It's that time of the year when Red Starbucks cups are the most common accessory. It's that time of year when you enter the ZSR when the shine is shining and leave close to sunrise while double fisting diet coke and espresso all night. It’s the most stressful time of the year when we all make promises to ourselves about better study habits next semester.  

Here’s a list of friendly reminders to keep sane during the insanity that is finals week:

   1) From the wise words of Kid President, “Everything is going to be okay”. Right now, it seems like this one grade is going to make us or break us. A common thing that a lot of us forget about (myself included), is that this one grade won’t matter in a month. We’ll have moved on to new classes and our priorities will have shifted. Although these grades do matter and are important, don’t forget about your health (both physically and mentally)! Take a break to read a book, watch a movie, take a trip to miller, have a pit sit with your sisters (Stress-eating makes everyone feel better), or just take a nap and recharge. Honestly, everything will work out fine in the end. Don’t take this mantra as a reason not to study, but rather as a reason to not over study and to know when enough is enough, like when you start drinking that fourth venti coffee (I’m guilty!).

  2)  Focus on the positive, whether the positives from the semester or what you have to look forward to after finals (home cooked meals and shoeless showers). This will make everyone much happier and relieve the stress as a result of “Work Forest”. A positive aspect of finals week, we survived another semester and now get a month long break to recharge before recruitment (and also to learn all the songs/chants!). Another positive of finals week, calories don’t count and diets don’t matter. Another positive of finals week, being done with more divisionals and classes that don’t interest you (never having to run a mile and a half for a grade EVER AGAIN).  These are usually things that marathon study sessions in the ZSR don’t highlight about finals week, but they make finals week a little more bearable. Often times, the positives outweigh the negatives and if you can focus on the positives then the stress of finals weeks seems a little easier to bear.  

  3)  Sisters are the best support system! Lean on a sister when stressed out for a listening ear, a study partner, or just someone to goof off with and relax. I’m here for anyone who needs anything at any point during the week (and at any time outside of finals week), and I think that a majority of our sisters feel the same way. Misey loves company, and that’s what sisters are for! It’s reassuring to know that everyone is feeling the same way and going through the same things. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a sister in a class and study together, talking through information is a great study tool and quizzing each other is even better!

Good luck to everyone as the first day of finals is approaching!