Ok, so…It’s that time of year. Final assignments, final exams, final time walking into the kitchen of my residence suite and wondering, “What the hell is that smell?” Oh how that smell will be missed when we’re gone. Ok, maybe not. But my roommates will definitely be missed!
The end of all these things can be a very difficult time. The stress of assignments is compounded by the pressure of exams, which is added to the dread of leaving school and returning to a world of crappy jobs, irritating little siblings, and curfews. These burdens are enough to cause someone to crack. To be perfectly honest, I had a personal meltdown just last week. I had three essays due Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, which was more work than humanly possible even if I sacrificed sleeping, eating, and breathing (because of course I had procrastinated to no end). I went to tutorial Monday morning and my TA asked me what was wrong because I was clearly not myself. I tried to say, “Oh nothing, just tired,” but instead I burst into tears. And not the pretty, dainty, girly tears, but overwhelming, oxygen-restricting, snotty sobs. I most definitely freaked her out. We talked for a bit and she offered me a short extension. I was shocked by this!
People spend their entire grade 12 year hearing, “You better smarten up because they’re not going to baby-sit you in University” or “When you get to University, if it’s not done on time it’s a big fat zero” (implying that you too will be a big fat zero for not shaping up and getting it together). These ‘words of wisdom’ leave you feeling that at University you will be just another number, but that just isn’t true!
No matter how big the population of your school is, there will be people who care about you as an individual. I’m not condoning procrastination or advising using tears as a bargaining tool (completely unintentional on my part, not to mention embarrassing). What I am saying is that if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, reach out. Because there will be someone there reaching back – a roommate, a TA, a counselor, a stranger on the bus, someone!
To sum up, final assignments and exams are important (very important), but it is even more important to take care of yourself – body, mind, and soul! Everyone’s heard “Eat right and exercise.” This is great advice, but make sure to take care of your mental health as well. For example, after my melt down on Monday I filled up my Nalgene, got a cappuccino, and went for a looooooong walk around campus. So simple, but it made a world of difference. Because that’s what works for me. So find what works for you and do it!
Written by UWO - Media students
I just want to leave you with one more of my personal favourite motivators. Watch a lame pump-up movie! Aka, tonight I watched “Stick It” (yes, the cheerleading movie….yes, that’s embarrassing, but I’m bearing my soul right now and I’m not ashamed. Ok a little.) This movie might not be Academy Award worth, but it left me feeling motivated enough to tackle my workload head on. Well, either that, or become a cheerleader! I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. 
