It’s no secret that many students are stressed. Many students at the University have reported feeling overwhelmed, and this has immense side effects, such as increased anxiety, depression and insomnia.

One student has been feeling many of these side effects: freshman Erin Lin. At the beginning of the year, Erin felt overwhelmed with her new lifestyle and workload. Oftentimes, instead of doing her homework, Erin would turn to stress eating Hot Pockets. 

“It’s been tough, and I did know where else to turn when the weight of coursework overwhelmed me,” Erin said. “So one night I tried to do something different.”

Last week, Erin got back from dinner with a new outlook on life; she decided to take a break from work and heat up some Hot Pockets. She normally eats one every night, but that night she decided to have two, claiming that “I feel good when I eat them, so why not?”

Erin’s roommate goes to bed at 8:00, as they are always tired after reading 100 pages for their Food History class, so Erin was alone the entire night. 

“It was me against crippling depression and existential despair, and we know who usually wins” Erin said, “which I especially feel when considering a world without Hot Pockets in it.”

She had a game plan. If she ever felt any anxiety through the night, she would make another Hot Pocket. Not only did they taste good, but the smell also permeated throughout the room for half an hour after. So if she ever felt stressed, she could just breathe in the scent of Heaven. Even just looking at the boxes she had neatly stacked up next to her laundry bin and textbooks made her feel better; if everything was wrong, at least Hot Pockets were right. 

All in all, Erin made it through the night without a single tear shed.

“Let this be a message to anyone who ever feels alone,” Erin said. “If you ever feel sad, do something that makes you happy. Whether that’s eating Hot Pockets or doing something else, it doesn’t matter. Do whatever feels right and remember that you are never alone.”