There are twenty assignments due by the end of the week, it’s pitch black at six o’clock, everywhere is crowded with people forced out of their homes to enjoy the supposed ‘cold’ weather, and there is no escaping Mariah Carey. Christmas craziness and New Year nonsense is worth it for the joy of the holidays, but that doesn’t mean succumbing to the pressure is a rational course of action.

A poll from the American Psychiatric Association revealed that 31% of Americans expect their stress level to rise as the holiday season progresses. The question is: how will they deal with the stress? A good place to start is accepting that some things are out of our control. Airplane schedules, people, delivery dates, people, the weather, and especially people have a habit of being unpredictable around this time.

11th grade Vocal Major, Daneysha Serna, says she handles the end of the semester by, “Trying to manage my time in a way where I can do other things after I do my work.” She admits to being behind on assignments and must work extra hard now to keep up good grades. Time management is important, especially for finding time to break away from stress-causing catalysts. A study done by Stetson University reveals, “one 30-minute session of yoga, humor, and reading acutely reduced physiological and psychological stress in students.”

When all else fails then don’t be afraid to shorten the handy dandy to-do list. It is important for everyone to recognize their own limits. Sometimes the to-do list just has too much to do, and the best option is to take off the less important tasks. Doing what needs to be done before anything else is the best course of action.

If even that doesn’t work, then grab something soft that is not important to squeeze the life out of until all of the stress fades away.