The most stressful time of year at De Soto High School has arrived, where high amounts of caffeine is consumed and motivation levels are low.

The craziness of finals week is not easily avoided with grades and sanity at stake, so, in preparation for the joy of finals week, here is my advice to both survive and be successful.

First of all, sleep whenever and wherever possible.Your sleep schedule will crumble, and you may find yourself running on hope and an hour of sleep. Just remember you are not alone, and there will be other half-asleep zombie look-alikes roaming the DHS hallways along with you.

Secondly, study as much as possible. While studying, take breaks, but don’t get distracted. Try chewing a specific flavor of gum while studying and also while taking the test. Another tip is try listening to classical music to keep you focused while studying. Also, resist the urge to watch Netflix at all costs, as you will regret it in the end.

Third, stay calm, cool and collected during the test. Guessing on answers once in awhile is okay and everybody does it. That one question you don’t know on your math test? No one else knows it either.

Fourth, eat healthy and at the right times. Eat a good dinner the night before, and eat a balanced breakfast, but don’t be that guy who eats during the test.

Lastly, don’t worry. Worrying solves nothing, and it probably won’t help you do any better. Take time to destress. Try spending time with a pet. Put your book down and take a walk; exercise helps to destress and wakes you up, and it will also help get the circulation back to your fingers after writing all of those flash cards.

Study hard, but remember that it will be over soon, then you get to spend time away from school and decompress. Only 163 days until summer! Happy studying and happy holidays.