Well folks, it’s that time of year again; the time that makes all Academy girls break out with stress acne and lose all sense of a proper sleep schedule. Yep, you guessed it: Research Paper Season. However easy/difficult we make our lives with our meticulous/careless time management, the anxiety that accompanies a paper worth two test grades is unavoidable. Therefore, every AHN girl should be aware of ways to ease her anxiety (and maybe even shoot for that A-plus) during these next few months.

1. Sausage. If you have no clue what this means, maybe take a trip down to Mrs. Z’s room. Essentially, “sausaging” is chopping up your workload into smaller bites instead of shoving everything in your mouth. Time management is key to reducing stress during any big assignment, especially the research paper. Try to get a head start whenever you have free time these next few weeks instead of binge watching Netflix.                                                     

   

2. Maintain your sleep schedule! Don’t allow yourself to lose more than two hours from your usual night’s sleep. That is, if you get eight hours of sleep every night, don’t risk getting any less than six; the consequences WILL affect your sanity!   

   

3. Look to your teachers for help. Specifically look to your English teacher and our librarian Ms. Swiger. They are HUGE vessels of information… don’t hold back from asking them anything and everything that concerns you!    

   

4. Look to your peers for help. Don’t think that your stress is relative only to you. Take a quick look around and you’ll notice that everyone is going through the same thing! YOU’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. Ask around for advice– but stay honorable. Remember: if it feels like cheating, it probably is.

   

5. Look on the internet for motivation. You’d be surprised at how much Google Images is willing to help…

   

6. When motivational quotes aren’t alleviating your stress, look for pictures that will comfort you. For example:

   

   

   

   

7. And when that doesn’t seem to do the trick, look for pictures and videos that will make you laugh. Like this hoverboard fail:
   

   Im dying 😂😂 https://t.co/1eICST2Vy6

   — Hover Board Fails (@HoverFaiIs) January 10, 2016

   Or that time when Justin Bieber lived true to his words: 

   https://twitter.com/femaIes/status/682768476310781953

8. Instead of complaining about your paper, think of the little things that you take for granted. At least you’re not Drake and Josh with this sushi belt… 

   

   And no matter what happens, be thankful that you will never have to endure the struggle that a T-Rex has trying to do normal activites.                                            

   

   

9. Remember to breathe. It helps.
10. Finally, listen to music that will help you get through the rough patches. To make your life easier, here’s a motivational playlist.

    credit: Isabella Alfonso/Achona Online

Whichever way you choose to go down your spiral into Research Paper Limbo, make sure to try out any of these steps so that you can make it a smooth process. Happy writing!