Finals week is creeping up on us.

Picture this... it’s 3 a.m., you’re on the fourth floor of RBD, and you have a final at 8 a.m. that you’re not exactly ready for.

Everyone around you seems to be jumping ship one by one, and you’re getting bitter that you can’t go crawl into bed too. Soon enough, you’re spiraling down a caffeine-induced rabbit hole, full of less-than-positive thoughts. I know you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You’ve got two options in this situation. First, you can feed into your negative thoughts and wallow in the stress and anxiety you’re feeling. Or — my personal favorite option — you can stop for a minute and take a deep breath. Yes, a literal deep breath. Actually do it. Then rip a fresh piece of paper out of your notebook. Write down your “why.” (You’re probably thinking, “My ‘why’? What is she talking about? I don’t have time for this.” Bear with me.)

Why are you studying right now? You need an A on your Anatomy II test, yes, but it probably goes a little deeper than that.

Maybe you’re an aspiring dietitian with a goal of eliminating food deserts in the U.S. and increasing access to nutrition education.

Maybe you’re the first one in your family to go to college and you want to see your parents’ huge smiles when you cross the stage at graduation.

Maybe you want to get into nursing school so you can study midwifery and work to improve maternity care.

Whatever your unique “why” is, it should be the "big picture" that drives your studies. Write it down and save it. Take a picture of it and set it as your lock screen for this week, hang it up on your mirror, or put it on a sticky note on your laptop.

Remember that you are not defined by a grade on an exam. There is more to you than that, and the outcome will not prevent you from living a happy, healthy, fulfilling life.

Keep in mind why you’re putting in all this hard work. Get some sleep, squeeze in some time at The Rec, and...

Be well, Auburn.

Photography: Kyleigh M.