As the first snow begins to fall, many people are probably trying to figure out how they’re going to survive the entire, hundred months long, winter that’s looming ahead. Admittedly, we face a long hard road here in the Midwest. It’s freezing out, your cute shoes are getting absolutely soaked in the slush, and the fact that you hardly ever get to see the sun doesn’t exactly promote a positive mental attitude. Coupled with upcoming finals, you’re probably wondering how you will make it through.  Here are some of my tips for survival.

1. Coffee (and lots of it)!
   1. When I’m heading to school on a brutally cold day, dead tired from being up doing homework all night, the first thing I want is a steaming hot cup of coffee in my hands as I make my way from my parking spot to school. There’s no use in starting the day off with freezing fingers or a headache, and it helps to get you alert before you start your day. “The best part of a hot coffee on a winter morning is how it can make you feel warm even though it’s freezing outside,” Feely said. “Growing up in the Chicago area, there are about 5 months of the year where you need a little extra warmth to get you going.” My go-to is a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks, because it tastes exactly like hot cocoa, giving off those warm fuzzy vibes, but wakes you up like a coffee. Which is great when you start off your day facing 8 periods of hard time spent learning, especially when all you really want to do is crawl back under the covers and pretend it’s Saturday.
2. Fluffy, Cozy Sweatshirts
   1. I don’t know about you, but my winter wardrobe isn’t complete without a bevy of thick, oversized, warm sweatshirts. Rolling out of bed on a cold morning is brutally difficult, but rolling into an equally warm, blanket-like object of clothing helps ease the pain. Plus, if I throw on a t-shirt underneath, I don’t have to worry about being overheated or freezing all day, which is definitely a plus in our, less than say, “temperate(?)” school. On top of that, what’s the point in not being comfortable when I’m pushing my mind all day, trying to absorb loads of information? The answer is: there isn’t one.
3. Manage Your Schedule
   1. The lead up to finals can make life seem very overwhelming, with massive amounts of work being crammed into a few weeks before they start, and then reviewing (aka cramming) a whole semester’s worth of learning in order to take the darn tests. I find the best way to handle this stress and survive the absolute worst part of winter is to block out a schedule, organizing when I’m going to do homework, when I’m going to study, and when I can give myself a break and relax a bit. This helps me take everything step-by-step, so I don’t feel like I’m drowning.  Plus, it helps break down what seems like an insurmountable amount of work into more bite-sized, manageable pieces.

While these are my “top 3” survival techniques that I use to get through the long, bleary and gray months ahead, my advice to you is to find whatever hacks, tips or other methods work for you!  Or, alternatively, try to convince your parents to move to Florida!