The time has come. We are all about to be stressed out, because final exams will take place next week.

Some classes do not have an actual final exam, at least not a written one, which is the case for one of my three classes I am taking this semester.

I am a bit stressed about my exams, because I really want to do the best I can.

I’m not failing any of my classes by any means, but I still want to do the best of my ability because I am graduating next semester, and we all want to do the best we can by the time we graduate.

On top of finals, we also have this week to complete any remaining projects and assignments we have.

The struggle is literally real.

I guess I am more stressed this year because I did not have exams last year.

I dropped out last year in October to go to rehab, and I did not come back to school until January, so I did not have to worry about finals right before Christmas break.

I did however have finals this past spring, but those did not seem as stressful as these ones do.

I try not to put too much pressure on myself, because my motto is to live life one day at a time, and I would not be doing that if I was worried too much about things to come in the future.

Of course, I have every right to stress about my finals next week, and it is necessary to have some concern and to study for them, but I try not to put forth too much stress into it, as it can end up being too much for me.

My advice to everyone else at Eastern would be to of course do your best during finals, study as hard as you can and be as prepared as you can, but do not overwork yourself.

Students tend to stay up until the wee hours of the morning studying for tests and exams, but this is not a good thing.

It’s necessary for us to have a decent amount of sleep, or we will not feel rested enough and have enough energy to do our best.

Also, it is good for us to eat.

I know plenty of students, including myself sometimes, who go long periods of time without eating anything because we are so stressed and do not feel hungry.

Often times, I have to push myself to eat something, even when I do not feel hungry at all.

Our bodies need plenty of protein in order to do the best we can in our studies.

It is also best for us to take breaks in between studying for finals.

For me, I have a hard enough time studying as it is with my ADD, but I do the best I possibly can and I also make it a point to take breaks in between my studying time.

This break can consist of going out and taking a walk, going for a ride in your car with friends or just taking a short nap.

Anything helps.

As stressful as they can be, I know we have the power to do the best we can with final exams, and once we are done we can all go home and be with our family members for Christmas and New Year’s.

Just remember to pace yourself this last week of classes, study as best you can and try to do give yourself a break here and there.

The stress can be unbearable at times, but just know that we all will make it through.

Andrew Paisley is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or at abpaisley@eiu.edu.