Dealing with stress can be hard during the school year.

I personally have had panic attacks and extreme anxiety when looking forward to how much work has to be done in a semester.

But there are way to make it through the semester.

During the first week of school when we are given syllabi in every class, it can get overwhelming with what is all coming up and what needs to be done.

But remember to take it one week at a time. Not all those assignments are going to be due at once and usually your teacher will prepare you in advanced for each one.

Something that might seem extremely daunting early in the semester can turn out to be easy or at least really intuitive by the time you get to it.

Your teachers usually want you to succeed and will usually have given you plenty of time before dumping a huge project on you.

When several classes have projects or assignments due at once it’s sometimes daunting.

Just remember to take them one assignment at a time.

Usually you will at least have an entire other day or maybe even a weekend to do each assignment.

If you work at a steady pace with breaks in between each project you will find it’s not so bad, usually.

When everything ends up being too overwhelming, I find it is a good idea to stop for a second and breathe.

If you suffer from anxiety like me, give yourself some time to relax for a few minutes.

Put everything back in prospective, listen to some music just do anything to get your composure back before pushing on.

Stress can become downright crippling in the middle of the school year and during finals.

If stress gets to the point of effecting you physically it might be time to take a short nap, watch an episode of a TV show or something else to calm you down a little bit.

If it turns into depression, remember on campus we all have access to the counseling center and there is no shame in making an appointment and just going.

Everyone has their own limits during the school year.

Do not feel ashamed if your mind locks up and you find yourself stressed.

You are just human and probably are being overly mentally stimulated. It is ok to take a break once in a while.

Talk out the stress with someone you know, explain what is going on with your teacher, etc.

You need to be able to work at your own pace.

If you are like me and occasionally get anxiety or panic attacks from seemingly too much work, just remember to take deep slow breaths until it passes.

Calm yourself down and remember it will pass. Sometimes you may need to put what you are working on away for a while until you can continue again.

Just remember to do your best in each class. Usually your best is enough to get through with a decent to good grade. Put as much effort in as you can but do not overdo it; being extremely stressed will only hurt you and your work.

Mace Mackiewicz is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].