by Brynn Biesik

Though December marks a time of jolly spirits and mass consumerism, it also means finals are right around the corner – at Hilbert, they start on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

As if people didn’t have enough to worry about, buying gifts, driving in the snow, and having to talk to relatives that they haven’t seen since the last family reunion, the pressure to study for every class loudly crashes beneath the surface. In an attempt to try and do everything, people will stay up all night in a Red Bull-induced rage of key board mashing and crying. We are all going through the struggle. So, after asking not-so-qualified personnel about de-stressing techniques it was apparent everyone was going through the ringer.

“Meditate. Not even in the religious kind of way. Just clear your mind and focus on positivity. That, or just go for a walk,” Theater and Communications Professor Taylor Doherty suggested. Though it’s getting cold there are many benefits of doing both activities. One releases the happy hormone called endorphins, and the other helps a person mentally drain the bad vibes so only positivity energy is retained.

“I distract myself by avoiding life’s responsibilities by immersing myself in a fictitious world that doesn’t have taxes, tests, or Trump. A world like Halo.” Said Alicia Southworth, a sophomore Forensics Science major. Immersing one’s self in an entirely different mindset is actually good for a person when studying. Studying should be done in intervals, not in a constant string of self-loathing hours.

It’s tough right now, everyone can agree. But, if you focus on Eudaimonia — that awesome feeling of accomplishment lying in bed at the end of a hard day’s work — the ends will justify those three nights of staying up to high-five the sun.