Ive been really stressed out lately. I’m sure a lot of you know how I feel. Exams are looming around the corner, tuition bills need to be paid, add/drop lines, work, love life or lack thereof, etc., etc.,..Calgon take me away!!!

It’s easy for all of us to let our problems pile up and to overlook the good things in life. Things could always be worse though – you could be Milli Vanilli. People seem obsessed with details: but usually only when they are bad. One zit can make you think you’re the ugliest person in the world even though you may not look a thing like the lead singer for Twisted Sister.

People unfortunately have been programmed to think that things have to be perfect. You have to work out just like “everyone says you should” or else you’re a “loser.” Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone was perfect?

Why worry about something you won’t care about in a year? When it comes right down to it, what are you going to remember in five years; your grade on your French quiz or what Suzy Stuckup thinks of you, or the time you and your roommate stayed up all night exam week and went to Around the Clock at 5 a.m.?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should blow off studying, or party all the time, but just don’t do things for the wrong reason. Do them for what you feel is right, not for what society says you should do to be a “success.” It can be pretty hard though, when you’re expected to decide in just a few years what you’re going to do for the rest of your life.

The secret is in not overlooking the good details when the bad ones seem to be constantly looming over you. It’s always easy to forget those little things, but they’re what mean the most to us in the end. What do you remember from when you were young, or when you were in high school? Things like TV shows and cartoons, things you did with your friends, girls/guys you scammed or went out with, songs that you liked, goofy stuff you did that you overlooked then are what you cherish now. In the last couple weeks everyone was worried about scheduling classes for next semester, but can anyone tell me his exact schedule from freshman year of high school?

There are plenty of ways to combat stress here at NIU. It’s interesting – the kind of things people come up with. My friends and I used to put a Gumby doll up on our TV and whip nerf balls at it. And you can always take time off to buy a magazine and give people in it mustaches and devil horns, which is always good for a million laughs. Or erase the captions of Sunday comics and create pornographic ones. OK, sure, they’re stupid and goofy, but sometimes everyone has to get stupid and goofy, or else explode from seriousness. It’s not a pretty sight either. If you get too uptight you’ll walk around looking like you’ve got a potato chip up your butt.

Everyone has problems, but worrying about them only gives you one more problem. When life’s got you down, just remember, BE CASUAL!