While the bulk of your exams may have been last week or more still might be around the corner, everyone deserves a break. With fall break this weekend, it’s the perfect time to embrace the “play hard” ethos that is so often missing from our campus come mid-October, when classes start to get a little too real. If you need an excuse, just tell yourself that a little relaxation will help you work harder next week. That’s the spirit.

Immediately after my exams this Wednesday, you will find me at John’s Donuts in search of pumpkin spice donuts. I’ve been eating my stress so I might as well eat in celebration as well. Plus, getting off campus sometimes immediately reduces my stress and reminds me that there’s a whole world beyond my classes and GPA. Later in the weekend, I plan on lazy days spent brunching, visiting Left Bank Books and grabbing some must-have fall fashions. I’m telling myself I deserve it. —Laura Harvey

As soon as my exams are done, I am hunting down the softest, fuzziest blanket I can find and wrapping up in it to enjoy all the books I’ve been neglecting over the semester for massive textbooks. “Gone Girl,” “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories” and “The Pillars of the Earth” are at the top of the pile. Until it gets significantly warmer, or at least reaches the temperature that it is in my hometown in North Carolina (75 degrees), I will not be leaving the blanket. —Kendall Carroll

Even though I have more exams next week, I definitely need a break to let my mind relax. That’s why I’m going to spend Thursday afternoon binge-watching “Key & Peele” on YouTube; the comedy duo is a great way to forget about the stresses of past exams. Of course, who would be relaxed without some de-stressor foods? Paws & Go has sublime f’real Cookies & Cream milkshakes, and after all the studying that I’ve done, I deserve the calories. Then, on Friday, I can go back to studying for more midterms with my sanity significantly more intact. —Lindsay Tracy

Thankfully (as of this moment), most of my exams and assignments were heavily concentrated in the past two weeks. I found that the most effective way for me to de-stress after each one was actually going to the gym. Even though it sounds counterintuitive to do anything involving effort while dealing with the mental exhaustion that comes after spending hours studying for and stressing over an exam, running on the treadmill or elliptical can be the perfect physical release. Moving your body after sitting for hours is a refreshing change of pace, and because exercise releases dopamine in the brain, it has actually been proven to put you in a better mood and clear your mind. —Erica Sloan

I actually like to hang out with my classmates after a midterm exam. If you have a few people with whom you studied or with whom you have grown closer over the course of the semester, suggest that you all go out for dinner after you finish the exam. You’ll have a great time together in a setting that’s beyond the classroom, and you’ll actually get the chance to talk to them about something other than schoolwork. Plus, you’ve all just been through the same stressful experience, so you’ll feel that much closer to everyone else as you bond over the shared experience. It’s similar to how people say that the fastest way to make friends is over the mutual hatred of a third party, except in this case, the third party is a college exam. It may seem a strange thing to ask of your classmates, but it’s likely that they will be in search of a way to unwind, too. —Claudia Vaughan

After a long week of tests, the best thing to do is to eat away all your previous troubles. No, I don’t mean feasting on all the Kit Kats or York Peppermint Patties in your dorm (though that’s not a bad idea) but instead heading out for a delicious meal at a nice restaurant. Living the good life isn’t the worst way to reward yourself for making it through midterm week: if you’re going to work like a big-shot professional, why not eat like one, too? Whether you and your friends decide to don business-casual apparel at Cafe Napoli or are in the mood to have a more casual meal on the Delmar Loop, treat yourself to a job well done. —Tyler Friedman

Sometimes, the best way to treat yourself is by just having a nice night in. Rent a movie from the new Redbox in Bear’s Den or just make a dent in your Netflix queue, pop some popcorn, and snuggle up with a blanket and some good friends. If you want to kick your movie night up a notch, head to the Tivoli on the Loop and enjoy a cheap indie flick. Best part? Ben & Jerry’s, the ultimate treat for a job well done, is right on the way! —Kimberly Henrickson