Editorial

     College students and stress are words that are a match made in heaven, especially at the end of

the semester. Final exams, projects, papers and other fun stuff always seem to be due on the same

day.

     I had that happen to me this semester. Well I always have projects due on the same day at the end

of the semester, so I wasn't surprised. That's the way a college student lives for four or five years.

For this semester, I dealt with a group paper that turned out to be 16 pages, a portfolio for my seminar

class, and of course editing this newspaper, which to my satisfaction (catch the sarcasm?) was

a 20-page issue. This was also piled on top of work, where I worked quite a bit during a sale we

had at my store last weekend. After work on Sunday, I came to the school to work on the newspaper,

and did the same on Monday where I didn't get home until 3 a.m. Plus as a commuting student,

it didn't make things any easier when you have to drive about an hour to get home.

You know what though, as in Bill Belichick's words "it is what it is," and I did whatever I had to

do to complete my tasks. I did lose a lot of sleep and that wasn't fun, but that's a part of life. Besides,

why waste it on sleep. I'll sleep when I'm dead, or better yet I'll catch up on the winter

break.

     Is that stress? To you it might be, but to me it is just stuff that I'm supposed to do, and you know

that loads of work aren't going to get any easier once we go out into the job market.

     Now to cope with work, deadlines and due dates, I try not to stress out. I mean I have all night to

do stuff. My mentality is it will get done. Not everyone is the same and I'm going to offer everyone

some tips on how to stay calm and cool when you feel like you've reached your wits end.

• Remember that school is what it is…school. Do the necessary work and stick to that. Prioritize

what needs to be done in importance. Now I'm not advocating to stop reading "Moby Dick" or

anything, but if that book isn't part of a project or test, then put it on the back burner.

• Always have food in your stomach. If you don't eat, then you'll be getting up every ten minutes

to get a snack. With food in your stomach, you'll be less hungry and less prone to getting that

snack. You'll be more focused with food in your stomach. Trust me on that.

• A big thing to remember is to close and shut down all the technology in your room. That

means no computer, iPod, Facebook, phone etc. Those are all unnecessary distractions when trying

to complete an assignment. One hour on Facebook can easily become five hours of wasted time if

you don't have the self-discipline to tune out distractions.

• If you're extremely tired, and if possible, than take a short nap. Nothing is more refreshing

then resting your body for a good hour. You'll wake up feeling more relaxed with a little more energy.

• Don't study for a test for three straight hours. It isn't possible to cram all that information.

Study in increments, than take a small break. For example, look at your material for a half an hour,

take a 15-minute break, than start studying again. Our brains need rest, like the way we need rest

after working out. You can't force yourself to remember stuff. Don't forget flash cards are extremely

helpful when remember a lot of words and terms, but don't forget to take small breaks.

• Take a walk. No explanation needed. Just take a little walk and breathe in some fresh air.

Just remember to take it easy. School isn't always worth fussing about. Stress leads to aggravation,

which leads to unnecessary drama and uneasiness. With the winter break coming, I assume

you'll have plenty of time to rest. You deserve it, so enjoy it as the spring semester will soon be

upon us.

                      Enjoy the break and the Christmas season!!!

--Michael Anderson, Editor-in-Chief