It’s finals week. At this point, you know what to expect.  Finals week is kind of like riding a bike on a bumpy path — except this year, the bike you’re riding is on fire. Everything is also on fire around you, including yourself and everyone you love. Instead of riding home, you are pedaling at the speed of light straight into the blazing infernos of hell.

So … what do you do? Well, for starters, maybe get off the damn bike. You are the one who is knowingly steering this bike, despite charring your god-given flesh in the process. Stop it. Put your foot down and walk off the path to get the help you need.

Yes, doing finals all online sucks. But ultimately, you are the one who chooses to react to finals. Life is an unpredictable and wild ride, and sometimes, planning for everything is not necessary. Always remember, if you screw up on your finals and don’t get the grade you want: Everything is going to be just okay.

When I first climbed up on the bike and smelled the smoke, I knew something was wrong. I thought to myself, why put myself through all this stress and anxiety? So, I did what I should’ve done. Instead of getting all riled up over the potential outcome of finals, I’ve decided to slow down and essentially give up hope.

Now, what I mean by “giving up hope” is not to just become a loser and completely bomb your finals intentionally. It’s more like, “Hey, I’m going to do the best I can, all while reassuring myself that if I don’t get the grade I want, it doesn’t matter.” By constantly hoping to get the grade you need, it is more damaging to yourself, and even it can potentially damage your grades. For crying out loud, we are in a pandemic. We have no idea what can happen next. Hoping for quarantine to end, hoping for good grades, hoping for whatever will only in return bring more suffering.

If you’re on hour eight of studying for that dreaded exam, and you find yourself thinking: “Man, I wish I can raid the fridge and drink dad’s beer, or “Man, I really wish I could be watching Netflix right now, or “Man, maybe I should take a shower. It’s been a few days and there is a strange odor emitting from my body.”

Just. Do. It. At this point, overstudying is only going to detriment your grade more, as well as your mental health. My friend, marginal utility is a real thing; you have to recognize when you are overdoing it.

That being said, please don’t become an alcoholic and devote excessive time to unhealthy obsessions. It is all about finding a balance in life, which will help you in the long run. Additionally, these next few months are still going to be just like finals week. More likely than not, we are still going to be inside. You have to adapt, rather than hope this quarantine ends. Society constantly hypes up hope to be this compelling thing, but it only gives way into suffering. Take a look at the media, especially the morons protesting quarantine in the streets. Those same people are hoping that by doing whatever they’re doing, they are going to somehow magically make coronavirus disappear, when in fact they are making the situation even worse.

I will say this one more time: Please, please, get off the bike and let go. I did it a long time ago, and quarantine and managing finals have been so much more bearable. You are doing it for yourself, everyone else and the greater good.

Meghan is a sophomore in LAS.

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