As I am getting my grave and tombstone ready for finals week, I have been looking for ways to stay sane and positive so I can be productive.

I mostly find long “self-help” lists that tell me to put on a face mask and run a bath. While this can be relaxing, self-help does not always call for a spa day.

Sometimes self-help means reflecting on your flaws and figuring out how you will change for the better.

When I want to better my situations and self, I think of the people in my life who make me want to be better.

In high school when I was unsure of what career path I wanted to take, my mother helped steer me in the direction of writing, and my high school English teacher, Kristen DiGiorgio, an Eastern alumna, pushed me to join the mass communication class to write.

Generally, I never would have gotten involved in anything, and I had never been a part of any of the school’s extracurricular activities, but her enthusiasm convinced me.

I was news editor for the online publication, The Boiling Point, which just started after years of not having a newspaper.

I only wrote a couple stories and took a couple photos, but I found DiGiorgio’s excitement for journalism contagious and declared it my major at Eastern.

Now that I am at Eastern and have been working for student publications since I walked through the door, I still think about her enthusiasm when times get tough in the newsroom.

This helps me get through the overwhelming amount of stress I work through when getting closer to deadline.

When I think about procrastinating I think about my mother, who is strong and stubborn.

Usually my mother helps me in ways I do not always welcome; she is the voice of reason that nags me to get things done, but she is right and it is for my own good.

Something I learned in my art class with Katie Bretzlaff was to always set your work somewhere and stand back five feet to analyze it.

I think this concept can be used for anything we are working on. It helps to take a step back, really look at what you are doing and make a list of the pros and cons.

Reminding yourself of the pros can get you motivated to get through the cons, making for a more productive work time.

Abbey Whittington is a junior journalism major and can be reached at 581-2812 or anwhittington@eiu.edu.