Pushing Towards Bliss and Rejuvenation

The stress to succeed bears down on the shoulders of a determined perfectionist. The days count down until there are mere hours until the first of a series of exams will be placed down on the desk expectingly, staring up at the nervous, confident, or somewhere in between student with an unforgiving glare. There is fear, exhaustion, and procrastination. There are projects, essays, and presentations. All of this adds to the foreboding pressure of midterms, determining the final grades that many have worked diligently for the past few months to keep in check.

The holiday season is on full blast, but not for the high school student. With Christmas songs, holiday parties, and the thought of two weeks off comes the large barrier that takes the form of a mound of school work that must be overcome before any of such joys are to be had. Wistful thinking of the festive future brings especially severe bouts of depression unique to December, when one is brought back to the reality of facing the school week ahead. Gift shopping and cookie baking will have to wait until the last assignment is safe in the hands of the grader and there are no more significant responsibilities weighing down on an already overwhelmed mind.

Though with the seemingly endless number of assignments and the heightened risk of a mental breakdown comes the immense satisfaction when one has (more or less) successfully completed what needs to be done. Unique only to this system is the rush of happiness, pride, and relief that overtakes when the final paper is submitted and the last question on the last exam is answered. Nothing stands in the way of the long awaited holiday break except the car ride home. The ability to relax is that much more appreciated and well deserved for both students and teachers alike, who both would like nothing more than to not see each other until the first days of January.

So fear not, while the rest of the world prepares for the most wonderful time of the year, and the path to a break in the endless flow of higher education seems decades away, one can rest assured that the bliss that comes on that last day before break will be more satisfactory than any other person's joy over reaching the home stretch of the week before Christmas. The amount of work accomplished in a short span of time, whether over a week and a half or the last twelve hours, is impressive and all the more deserving of time off. The burnt out, trudging along, day by day irritation will be replenished into the New Year's rejuvenation, giving students the power they need to get through till the next break when the cycle will repeat itself over and over again until the long awaited three month vacation of summer is on the horizon.