It’s November, a time in college where everyone is struggling to get their work done and pass in those papers before finals start to hit.

Grinding out all this work, professors giving out tests, studying, eating, sleeping, and your social life all become harder and harder to balance. More on your plate means more stress, but dealing with that stress can help you to keep on moving and not get burnt out before your semester is over.

Everyone has stressed about something at one point in their life, and there are many “miracle cures” out there that claim to keep you stress free.

While these may work for some, it is important to realize everyone manages their stress in a different way, so one person’s method may work great for them and not you. The bottom line is, it is important to really figure out who you are, so you can take breaks to do things that make you happy.

“Rugby,” said CJ Cotton Jr., a grad student at AIC.

“I am allowed to release aggression and just be myself without getting judged,” he added.

The rugby field is all about helping each other out, and for some, just participating in the sport can relieve their outside tensions. While not everyone is a part of a sports team, some still use the gym or exercise to escape from the real world, and to re-energize for the rest of the day ahead of them.

If that’s not your style, that’s okay.

Plenty of people don’t go to the gym to forget, there are other ways. In this generation music has become a huge part of most people lives, and it gives you something to relate to. Music can be an outlet for anyone, as they let the lyrics take them somewhere else and calm their mind, in that moment, nothing else matters.

Everyone has a song or some lyrics that they can relate to, which makes it a great way to leave your stressors behind and take some time for you.

Daryl Bagley is a sophomore and student athlete at AIC, so when his plate gets full, he turns to his tunes.

“When I need to relieve stress, I either read or listen to music,” Bagley said.

“Both help me to just kind of drift away from whatever real-world issues are stressing me out, which allows me to better think about and eventually address the issue at hand with a positive outlook/mindset,” he said.

Taking these breaks to clear your head are necessary. When you put your body and mind under such a load that college finals can bring, it can be rough.

When you get burnt out you don’t think straight, you can’t sleep, and it just brings you down to a place where it can be hard to get back up without some you time. Your herbal teas and 10-minute naps instead of sleep will only take you so far, but when all else fails, take some time to do what you like to do.

For Jonathan Ortiz, a graduate student at AIC, his idea of a mental break is hanging out with his teammates.

“When I’m really stressed out, sitting in the DC and hanging out with the team helps. I like eating and when you combine that with a bunch of really funny guys just trash talking or having ridiculous conversation can equal a lot of comic relief,” Ortiz said.

These three students seem to really know how stress affects them and what they should do if they need a break. College can be hard, so there is no shame in taking a step back and figuring out how to deal with your stress in a way that helps you the most.

Find your calm place and keep it with you until you head home for winter break!