Dealing with the stress of finals week inevitably approaching, I for one can say that I have been struggling. My sleep schedule is completely out of sync, as the sun goes down the second the clock hits 4 p.m. At this point, I feel like I could sleep over 16 hours and I would wake up groggy and already yawning. Seeing the sun for a few hours a day has not helped me at all in my struggles, and I miss the warmth summer brought me. Now I’m bombarded with wind so strong I can’t hear my own thoughts, and weather so cold I can’t feel my hands. My tiny twin-size bed has never seemed so welcoming until I had a million things to do and it is just… calling my name.

Beyond the fact that if I’m not working, I’m sleeping, and if I’m not sleeping, then I’m doing work, it leaves me with no time for a social life at all. Even on the weekends if I’m able to escape out into the city so I can get just a personal breather, I still feel the stress of all the undone work I have waiting for me at home, so I can’t even enjoy it. If I get five assignments done, there’s always another deadline approaching. I guess this is my rude awakening and reality check: you’re on your own. You’re in college. This semester seemed to go by pretty quickly, but that’s probably due to the fact I miss class since I tend to ignore my alarm for more than three hours (even if my classes start at 11 a.m., my body still begs me for more sleep).

I hate becoming swamped in my work, and I hate not having enough time to do everything. In the beginning of my semester, I was able to nap after class and it was the best thing ever. I’d wake up, get dinner, and then do all of my work. My schedule was perfect! Now, my classes require much more preparation as we’re in full swing, and there’s a ton of cramming into the mere 24 hours that fit into the day. On top of all of this extra work, I’ve picked up a second job so my nap times have since ceased to exist. This is probably for the best, as now I am able to be productive and make money; however, I’ve noticed that I now need a completely separate alarm app to wake me up and keep me up. I could be up for a half hour, and the minute my eyes shut for longer than two seconds, I’m knocked out again.

What I’m trying to say is, if you feel like you’re struggling and you’re drowning in work, you’re not alone. I’m here and I’m sure there’s many others in the same boat. There’s a couple weeks left to push through, and then we’re rewarded with a month of break from (at the very least) school, and if you’re one of the lucky ones, work as well. And with that, let us all begin the countdown to Christmas break.