DJ Al is gonna be spinning out the beats tonight

(I actually wrote this about a month ago and finally decided to post it, with finals coming up and every thing.)

This one goes out to all the students in the struggle. Keep them heads high. 

I'm writing this in my computing class because we're reviewing and it's painfully easy and there's a computer in front of me. These are just some suggestions coming from my point-of-view that really do help me and have helped me.

These are just a couple things that helped me when I was at my lowest last semester. So I hope maybe some of these will help, and if they don't, find your own thing that works for you. We all deal with school differently.

Come over here. Come sit on mama's lap. Mama has to tell you a secret: coffee is gonna become your best friend in school. Unfortunately. But don't drink it to the point that you become immune to it (that can happen). If you don't really need it, don't drink it, because when you do need it, it's gonna help a lot more.

And just remember that we're all in this together. I know what it's like to be so completely overwhelmed with work. It's honestly horrible. But just know that it WILL get done. It's gonna be a struggle and it's gonna suck at times (most of the time), but you will finish it. Just imagine the day in your mind when you finally turn it in and how good you're gonna feel. It's not that far away.

Find some time to relax. Girl, you work too hard. Sit your ass down and take a break. It'll help to rest your brain so you can be ready to go. I've found that if I do something completely mindless for a little while, I work a lot better when I get back to studying. So I'll play a game on my phone or my favorite thing to do now is watch Say Yes to the Dress. Just mindless tv watching so my brain can take a break. Or, this is always a good one: Go out and get some fresh air! See the world! I've heard the sky is beautiful. Take a walk or a run; it gets the blood flowing and a bit of cold air wakes you up.

Start things early! Please, for the love of God, do this whenever you can. I procrastinate like hell. And sometimes, it's good to procrastinate because a lot of people get their best work done at the last minute. But don't make it a habit. Your body will hate you. Your teachers will hate you.

YOUR HEALTH IS NUMBER 1. I cannot stress this enough. A lot of my stress last semester came from putting school and all my problems in front of my health. Not.Even.Worth.It. I figured out that if I had just taken care of myself I would have felt a lot better and done a hell of a lot better. So don't do it. Nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing is more important than your health. If you need to take a break, take a break. If you feel like crying, please don't hold it in for too long because that's only going to produce worse results in the future. Try to get enough sleep. I know it's extremely difficult trying to get the sleep you need, but don't compromise your sleep schedule because of other things. You think it's not that big a deal at first, then your exhaustion starts affecting literally every other area of your life. Not to mention, you feel like shit all the time. 90% of my problems last semester came from lack of sleep. So please, give your body the rest it deserves.

IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD IF YOU FAIL IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD IF YOU FAIL. Last semester I turned in my first ever late paper. It was bad. I had slept through my class (due to lack of sleep, mind you) and I had to haul ass to my professor's office to turn it in. She almost didn't take it. If I hadn't of lied to her and said I was sick all morning, she definitely wouldn't have. The paper was worth 25% of my grade and she gave me some severe reductions. I felt so horrible because it was such a huge part of my grade and it was the first time I had ever missed that sort of deadline. But I've learned from it and I'm never going to do that again. So making mistakes is honestly something positive because you've learned something and the best part is you're never going to do it again. So be happy! You made a mistake, you picked yourself back up and you kept going! That's the only thing that matters. Failures should be celebrated more because the only way to go from there is up. And know that that one F is going to mean nothing in 5 years.

Find some inspiration. I know, super dumb, but it has really helped me. I'm not saying to find a French girl to model naked for your next painting, but find something that makes you happy and keeps you going. Something that when you're in the deepest chasm of frustrated cramming, you can think about and instantly smile. Something that will lift you up when you're at your worst. Be it friends or a role model or a song or that one dream you had that was practically perfect in every way. Focus on that one thing and just allow yourself to feel good. Instant mood booster.

And remember, "You must follow it to the very bitter end." Inspirational words from the sagacious Madame Hitchcock. RIP

I know that right now I seem like the least busiest out of everyone, but take it from your home girl who had no less than 3 papers every week and quizzes galore every other week on top of the rest of my work (this is not an exaggeration). I know how stressful school can be and I hope these will help. 

bye

Alex

P.S. check out this picture I found:

 the Marissa and Gardenia bear in their natural habitat