Spring is in the air, and while for most people spring brings April showers and May flowers, for students it can be the most dreaded time of the year. Teachers pile on the things they forgot to cover over the past year, there are no more breaks until summer and AP testing is rapidly approaching.

Stress can build up very quickly in the fourth quarter, but there are ways to combat the end of the year blues, if senioritis hasn’t struck already.

Have some fun

Homework, studying and projects can seem monotonous and stressful if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. There needs to be something that can keep you going and keep you motivated until all your work is
done.

Whether it’s going to see a movie over the weekend, making plans with friends or reading a new book you’re interested in, you need something that will encourage you to work.

Just think, once done with your homework you will get to enjoy yourself. If you’re going to work hard you need to play hard.

Just do it

Nike had it right: Just do it.

Homework, that is. Instead of going on YouTube for a few hours, Facebook chatting everyone you know (including that weird kid from middle school who keeps talking to you) or zoning out in front of the
TV, just start your homework.

Don’t wait until midnight to pull out your planner when you’ll undoubtedly feel the time pressure. Start it as soon as you can. Facebook will still be around when you’re done with your biology.

Sleep

This is probably the single most important thing that students neglect. And while students always say, “I need more sleep” no one takes action to correct the problem.

Think of it this way, you can stay up for the better part of the night and study material you’ll probably forget in the morning or you can get some rest and be able to read the questions properly.

Sure you can lose sleep and write that essay, but how good is it really going to be? If you really have that much work to do, go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, and do your work in the morning when you’re refreshed and can concentrate.

Talk to your teachers

If you’re at your breaking point, most teachers can be reasonable and understanding if you just make an effort to go in and talk to them. Explain the situation, why you’re stressed and ask for their help. See if you can get an extension on that paper, take the reading assessment during your free period or turn in your homework the next day.

You’ll never know how lenient a teacher is until you ask. But going in the period before an essay is due probably is not going to do you much good. If you’re responsible and inform them of the situation in advance there’s a higher chance they’ll be sympathetic to your cause. But if you go into it acting like they owe you something, it’s almost guaranteed that you’re not going to get that extension.

Plan ahead

There’s a reason you have a planner. With a little planning you can avoid large amounts of stress. When you see just how much time you have to do a project, you can spread the pain out over a week instead of doing it all the night before.

If you can see exactly how much time you have you can better organize study groups, force yourself to ask for help in the Tutorial Center and have more time to do what you want to do. Most people don’t even bother writing a few lines in their planner even though it could help them prevent stress.