A very good friend of mine was in a situation where she felt trapped between her work and school responsibilities. She had let school slip, and then had to push even harder over the last two weeks. Last Thursday she lost it completely during finals week and wound up being hospitalized for a 5150 mental evaluation.

She is getting her rest now, but that is a rough way to get that rest. Had she kept up with her school work she might not have come to this point. In my first two years of college I did the same, and the intense effort required to catch up caused me much distress. Once I learned to pace myself, study daily, and keep ahead of the work college became much easier for me and finals week became a time when I could actually relax and enjoy the ride.