Collegiate Times

It seems like yesterday when I was on the beach, reading "Cosmopolitan," drinking a piña colada. It also seems like yesterday when I had zero schoolwork, was free of stress and wasn't surrounded by holiday treats, but sadly that wasn't yesterday — it was last week. Now I barely have time to breathe, let alone study for exams, write papers or go to the gym.

As much as the holidays are my favorite time, they also seem to be the most stressful and most time-consuming few weeks of my entire year. With the anxiety of finals, the stress of shopping and the pressure to bake, bake, bake, it is nearly impossible to escape the mayhem without a few extra pounds and a few less strands of hair. So here are the four "Es" to live by for holiday break:

1. Eat!

Yes, I know, it seems contradictory for me to tell you to eat in order to not gain weight and stay stress free, but the worst thing you can do is not eat as normally as you do during any other time of the year. When stress is high from exams and time seems like it's moving at the speed of light, it's easy to forget to eat a meal, which can lead to excessive hunger and the possibility of overeating. Also, hunger tends to make people more tired and less patient, two characteristics we all hope to hide during these last few days of the semester.

2. Exercise.

Exercise is obviously key to making sure you can button your pants in the next year, but when "the weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful," it seems almost impossible to find the motivation to leave the house. Think of it this way — exercise means endorphins, which means you're happy (not stressed), which means no coal in the stocking, unless that's what you like.

Now, exercise does not have to involve hitting the gym for a few hours. Simply getting your heart rate up is going to make you feel a lot better. When stress cravings are coming on, do twenty jumping jacks or thirty crunches before getting back to the books. You will instantly feel re-energized and ready to get back to relearning, (in some cases learning) your course material.

3. Enjoy.

The only way to really get through this holiday season is to enjoy it. Yes, it is hard to find the pleasure in staying up until the wee hours with your nose shoved in a book, but take out the book and insert 30 of your closest friends and you would think it was a Friday night. Besides, hating exams and avoiding your favorite holiday treats is not the way to celebrate this time of year. If your grandmother just pulled your favorite cookie out of the oven, don't run away in fear, have one or two and enjoy them. The taste is the same whether you have a bite or the whole batch.

4. Entertain.

It seems that we spend most of our semester constantly surrounded by friends and as the second exams hit, we lock our doors, turn off our cell phones, and hide from any "distracting" interactions. This is probably one of the worst ways you can "cure" stress and one of the best ways to ensure overeating. Turn on your cell phone and open your door. Having a few of your friends over will help you relax and aid you in remembering that there is life after exams. Plus, bonus, when you are with your friends, you are less likely to create strange concoctions in the kitchen and more likely to eat a moderate snack or meal.

5. Ease up

Sometimes the only way to get through this time of year with your hair intact is to take time to relax. Just ease up for a few minutes or even a few hours. Light candles, take a bath, listen to classical music, or read a book you actually like. Do anything to get your mind off the tests you have coming up or the crowded malls you will have to fight soon after. This shouldn't be a time of year to consider calling the men in the white coats. This should be a time for "peace on earth," "goodwill to men" and all that other stuff we learned from Christmas claymation.