Only one week remains in the semester: one solitary week.

Whether you are a freshman waiting to see your high school friends for a summer while working a job with laughable pay, or a senior excited to enter the real world of bills and responsibility, the end is in sight. After the recent MSA elections placed a special emphasis on mental health awareness from both sides, the question arises: How will students keep it together these next few weeks?

One of the issues that many students face is the lack of sleep they receive. As the common idiom states: it is best not to burn the candle at both ends. Not everyone can be like Bill Clinton, who allegedly got by with only four hours of sleep a night regularly.

As freshmen with fake IDs brag about closing down the bar many other students are getting kicked out of the library on a regular basis. Sleep deprivation has almost become a badge of honor among students. The average adult needs from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. For many of us that seems like a lofty goal. According to the Veteran’s Administration, the key to getting this goal is consistent scheduling to set an internal rhythm.

On April 29, an event sponsored through Boynton Health Services, called Sleep Revolution was held at the Rec Well center for students. So after students de-stressed with a long workout, they had the opprotunity to learn about how to properly recover with a good night’s sleep.

Often academic stress can compound other stresses in life such as weight, eating, and nutrition problems; personal relationships; and social anxieties. All of these things are factors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Luckily, if you are a student who has been struggling with some of these and only fear the upcoming period of papers and tests there are resources available at Boynton.

Boynton offers 45-minute stress checks with trained student volunteers. These one-on-one meetings will cover what stressors might be active in a student’s life, what can be done to manage these stressors, and what other services can be accessed through Boynton. These resources are also available for students to browse at http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu/.

Sometimes students forget about having fun and focus too much on their immediate stressors. A great service through Boynton is called Petting Away Worries And Stress (PAWS.) PAWS provides therapy animals to spend time with and relax. These furry friends are professional de-stressors, so you know that they will complete the job successfully! Sometimes all you need is a dog to remind you about keeping things in perspective, and just being happy in the moment. No matter what your schedule looks like this resource is available. PAWS sessions are scheduled on all three campus locations, making the service accessible to everyone. These sessions are free and available to the public.

No matter what you are going through as the semester comes to a close there are resources here at the university to help you through this busy time of year. If anything ever gets too stressful don’t be afraid to contact a friend or call Boynton’s Mental Crisis Connection at (612)-301-4673. Be safe this finals’ season, and remember that it will all be over soon.