Without a doubt the most stressful part of my semester was finals week. Turning in papers, taking exams and wrapping up any last-minute chance to solidify the grade you want is completely unnerving. Initially I thought this finals week was going to be easier than normal, since about half of my classes did not have an actual final. However, I clearly underestimated the amount of material I need to know for the finals I did have. People have asked me how I find time to take a break, and the answer is always “I don’t.”

My schedule during finals week was as follows: study, study, study, take five minutes to eat, study, final, compose predictable tweet about how bad I thought the final was, study, study, sleep for a few hours, repeat.

During all of this madness, how can you find time to relax and spend time with the man upstairs? My best answer is to utilize the time you are spending on other things to multitask. While you eat, say a prayer. Listen to a praise song or two while in the shower. Read a passage of scripture while walking between buildings. Even taking ten seconds to ask the Lord for focus while you’re getting out a different textbook can help. This way, you remain focused on God without losing much-needed study time.

Although finals week can be beyond stressful, there is no reason you can’t keep Him at the center of it. Saying a short prayer or even taking a short break to just meditate on life can be something very simple that keeps your stress level at a minimum.

Until next semester, have a wonderful Christmas break.