We’re at that point in the semester where we’re consumed by stress.

It’s hard to wake up in the morning because it’s easier to avoid all the responsibilities on the daily check list.

 There’s no social time unless you schedule it on your phone. Fifteen minutes for Facetiming with Tanya. Thirty minutes for lunch with Dan.

 We, at The Collegian, have a lot of stuff on our plate right now — just like everyone else. We’re at that point in the semester where we can’t even write an editorial that focuses on anything else.

 We’re stressed.

 Disclaimer: We got off track multiple times talking about Marvel and DC comics, different types of alcohol and Jason Momoa.

It’s not like we’re super stressed about just school — most of us are journalism or graphic design majors, I mean, come on. But it’s really just about this time of year and how it can be the “February slump.” In general, this entire semester is crammed with activities and requirements, and it makes almost everyone feel as if they’re constantly experiencing a migraine.

 We’re in the one part of the semester where there are no breaks for more than a month. No long weekend to give us some time to relax.

 We’re also in that time of year where we haven’t really seen the sun for about four months. We, at The Collegian, miss the sun.

 But maybe just having a full schedule isn’t what makes this time stressful for everyone. Sometimes it’s what preoccupies your mind — that scary term: the future.

 Everyone is scrambling to find summer internships, find jobs, new places to live, ways to schedule their fall classes or graduate smoothly. All of these concerns weigh down on your mind until those are the only things left, still unchecked on the to-do list.

 Do we even have to talk about how exhausting relationships are?

It’s all worn us down.

A person who’s under constant stress is like an animal that’s constantly in fight or flight mode. Your body eventually shuts down if it’s in that mode for too long, according to the Communications Workers of America Safety and Health Department.

The physical reactions of fight or flight are meant to provide more energy and prepare the body for action. When this process is constantly functioning, our bodies are working overtime and our entire system is weakened.

So stress is bad. We already knew that, but for some reason we tell ourselves that by keeping ourselves busy and by “working through the stress” that we’re being productive or we’re successful. But we’re just burning ourselves out before we’re able to actually make something of ourselves.

So take care of yourself. Read self-help articles, Pinterest ways to relieve stress, talk about how you got to this point. Take care of yourself.

We, at the Collegian, reached the point in the semester where we just needed to sit down and spill all the stressors that have dragged us down to becoming the over exhausted zombies we currently look like.

We vented. You can vent too.