Get the balance right | Tracy Nyhan

It’s that time of year again: that frustrating time when all of your assignments are conveniently due on the same week. There are questions to decipher, reading lists to crawl through and, most crucially, a comprehensive and well-informed answer to construct. It can be pretty distressing but the key is not to let it all get on top of you. As expected, that week will be tough and it’s disheartening to think that there are many weeks like this one to come. But isn’t that what we’re here for after all? All of our hard work will (hopefully) be reflected in that coveted degree on Graduation Day. No pain, no gain…However, getting the balance right is imperative for success. Last week saw UCC’s Mental Well-Being Week take place on campus, ridding mental illnesses from its stigma and advising students on how they can acquire help, should they need to, when things get hectic. During the week, there were diverse events aimed at all students. These events encouraged people to talk as a way of easing pressures and worries that people may feel during these stressful and challenging times. Getting the balance right was a theme explored and promoted during the week, a theme highlighted at a talk by Claire Dunne who gave advice for those tackling both academic work and extracurricular activities. When it comes to assignment/presentation/interview/exam times, it’s so very important to prioritise your workload. Work directly concerning your degree must come first – it’s why we’re all here. However, over-working yourself can lead to a build-up of unnecessary, preventable stress. If your workload is bringing you down, taking regular breaks from your work may be all you need!Having “downtime” from the ever-present pressure to perform well academically and from the myriad of extracurricular activities on your plate is key in creating a good balance. Luckily we have ideal ways to distress and relax in this week’s issue. Ways to rewind, putting things into perspective can be found in in these very pages. Arts and Literature editor, Julie Daunt has a list of upcoming photography exhibitions taking place in Cork in the coming weeks; a perfect way to take a break, immerse yourself into culture and put everything into perspective. Alternatively, throw on a few old songs that reflect past, simpler times and relax. Take inspiration from Kieran Murphy’s article in the Music section and enjoy the guiltiest of pleasures. In the Film and TV section, there are plenty of insightful reviews to prevent you squandering your money or time, considering both are so limited these days, in that cinema theatre or on that TV series if they’re not going to be up to scratch. Although if delightfully-awful films are your thing, jump straight ahead to the next page for some suggestions. Or, if gaming is more your thing, make sure to read this week’s recommendations (including FREE ones!).The next few weeks before Christmas will be pressing. Check in on time management and divide your attention wisely. Regular breaks and “downtime” is just as important as studying, if only for your mentality. You’ll feel better after taking a break to put everything into perspective and can prevent little problems becoming a big deal.Finally, the position of Music Editor remains vacant. Looking to review your favourite albums and artists, or vent about what’s really grinding your gears of late – this is your chance! Applications are welcomed to either myself on entertainment@uccexpress.ie or Editor Kevin O’Neill on editor@uccexpress.ie. Fancy throwing your hat into the ring? We’d love to hear from you.