We’re almost there; we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The semester is almost over.

What’s waiting at the other end of the tunnel varies from person to person. It may be your mom’s special meatloaf, a vacation to a balmy resort, or more hours at your part-time job.

 But whatever it is we’re each heading towards, I think we can all agree that the last day of classes will be a good day.

But before we can enjoy the winter break, we have to give one final push to wrap up this semester. These are a few things that might make the last two weeks a little less painful.

1- Lentils. Some of us have burned through our savings/loans and whipped out the credit card. It’s tempting to use that magic piece of plastic as a way to live like a king until you return to work, but that will only cause more stress later. If you have a bag of lentils, water, some spices and a stove, you have nutritious soup.

2- Upbeat music. For now, put away any music that makes you think too deeply. Save that for the break, when it’s perfectly acceptable to sit in your room and indulge in self-analysis. Right now you need something that will get you moving. Swedish pop star Robyn has saved me from myself more than once.

3- A time-wasting game. It seems counter-productive to do anything that would purposely waste what little time you have to finish assignments, but sometimes it is necessary to reward yourself with a little break.

Games like Sudoku and Solitaire keep your brain active while allowing you to mentally step away from your schoolwork for a while. And I’m sure by the time I tell my grandchildren about my time in college, I will have forgotten what my grades were. But I will remember my 94 per cent success rate on Freecell.