It seems we have reached the point in the semester where I can see the stress people are feeling.

Finals are creeping up and on top of that, professors are piling on assignment after assignment for students to complete. Add on job commitments, athletics and volunteer time and it equals a stressful time.

I’ve been experiencing stress of my own the past few weeks. Other than having to complete several big assignments for classes, namely this week, I am also preparing to take over as the Sunflower’s next editor-in-chief. While I’m definitely excited for the position, it’s just one more thing on my list of things to do before the semester ends and that is causing me plenty of stress.

If you find yourself dealing with stress overload as the end of the semester creeps up, remember to step back and calm down a little. Take a few minutes to relax and not think about anything, just to clear your head.

Treat yourself. Do something you enjoy. Read a book, write in a journal or blast loud music in your headphones.  Do something that lets you escape from the stresses of academics. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, taking a moment to do a little self-care will go a long way.

Personally, I like to write for fun, so I did just that on Monday. I took a break from writing a big paper for a class and opened up a new Word document and just started scribbling away at a short story idea I had over the weekend. That half-hour of fun writing allowed me to temporarily escape the world and made me feel less stressed about my list of things to do before May 17, when the semester ends.

We are all stressed out at this time of the school year. Don’t feel bad to take a moment to break away and just enjoy yourself. It’s good for your health and will re-energize you to get your stuff done. Do it.