COLUMN: The final countdown

After Thanksgiving break, I feel like something in the air changes the students in Mount Pleasant.

You know when you were little and you got recess in elementary school, you could roam free and play for a short amount of time, but then it was back to business much too soon? For me, that is my initial feeling once I get back to Mount Pleasant after Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving break is just enough time to get yourself comfortable and relaxed at home, but before you know it, your car is packed and it's back to school.

We put up my family's Christmas tree and decorated the house, and then I was out the door. It did not feel right.I don't think the small snowfall helped either. The ground is barely grazed with a light sheet of white snow that makes it feel like you should be snuggled inside with your family celebrating the holidays.

In just a few short weeks, we will be on break again, and this time it will be for longer. But what gets students so anxious and irritated is how much goes on in between now and then. There is so much preparation for final exams and large projects that the motivation is not there after loading up on family time and turkey.

For me, my drive is only an hour, but some students have a much longer drive. Instead of thinking about how little time there is left before the huge holiday break, I was almost overwhelmed with how much I have to do in between.

My best advice is to take things day by day. Instead of the bigger picture of finals week, just look at the daily tasks. When you see yourself checking things off your daily to-do lists, it can feel more empowering to see all the achievements you make along the way.

Then, once it's exam week, you are able to devote all your time to what is going on during that specific class, and the day you have the exam.

If that doesn't work for you, you could try using your calendar or agenda and keeping a small countdown to the day you are leaving. Seeing the days dwindle down can give you hope that it really is happening; you're almost done for the semester.

It's true that turkey can make you sleepy, but we only have a little way to go before it's holiday break.

It's the final countdown.