It’s the second week of November and a lot of college students, like myself, are starting to dip our toes into the freezing waters of finals.
There’s a word that I learned recently from a book that I was reading—a Croatian word, súton—which describes our soon-to-advent situation perfectly: the inexorable approach of the end. I don’t mean to scare anyone; finals are stressful and terrifying and honestly, the world would be better off if we didn’t have them at all—but we do. What can we do to assuage these fears? Luckily for you, I am here, and I am bringing you eight tips on how to stay sane during final exams:
Take a break
This probably sounds counter-intuitive but really, say that you’re studying for your upcoming biochemistry exam or something; staring at words and numbers and diagrams continuously, for hours on end, isn’t going to help. You should schedule small breaks for yourself, interspersed between your study time. If you absolutely hate the idea of relaxing while studying, use a break to review the material that you just learned.
Eat a good and well-balanced meal
I know too many people that skip meals while studying and this is just a bad idea all around. It’s been proven time and time again that skipping meals results in less focus and makes you even more tired; even if you don’t want to eat a big meal, try to eat fruit, yogurt, a protein bar, or something small that’ll give you a boost of energy. Please don’t drink five-hour energy or Monster or Redbull and try to pass it off as nutritious.
You can use your aforementioned break and make some food while you relax: cook a meal or prepare a snack. It’ll keep your hands busy and your mind off your schoolwork for a little while.
Limit your alcohol/caffeine intake
As mentioned before, don’t think you can chug some high-caffeine, high-sugar drink and call it a day. Caffeine may feel good at first, but the subsequent crash can be taxing, and alcohol impairs your ability to focus. Both of these things can trigger anxiety as well as panic attacks, if you’re prone to those. Drink lots of water -that’s always a good tip— and stick to maybe juice or chocolate milk if you need a shot of sugar.
SLEEP!
Please, please, please get adequate sleep during finals week. I know that many college students pull all-nighters or study until five in the morning, take an hour long nap, and then head out to class—and this is horrible for your mental and emotional health. Being sleep-deprived does not make you superior, and you definitely should not wear your tiredness like a medal. The best thing to do is split your study schedule over several days; this will also help you to better remember all the information that you absorb. Remember to prioritize your mental health, always!
Exercise daily
This doesn’t mean that you should go to the gym and lift three hundred pounds every day. But you could try doing some jumping jacks or squats, or jump-roping for twenty minutes at home. Also, remember to vary your exercises so that you don’t strain a singular set of muscles too much! Exercising will leave you tired for the first few days, but afterwards it becomes something to look forward to. Keep in mind that exercise can help with self-esteem and stress management, as well as lowering blood pressure and overall, being a brilliant way to keep yourself healthy.
Breathe.
Take a deep breath and remind yourself that things can only go up from here; your massive problems of today may only be small concerns in the future. Chances are that you won’t even remember what you were so stressed about five years from now.
Reassess your goals and remember that you can’t control everything.
You can’t make an “A” on every test. Although there are incredibly smart people everywhere, remember that you can’t make the highest score out of everyone in the class on everything. Remember that despite the bad times, there is good in the world: you have friends and family that love you, you have people everywhere willing to support you, and whatever it is that’s stressing you out will one day fade from your mind.
Stay positive, have a laugh.
Watch something funny. Take a break and hang out with your friends, or call your parents and let them gush over you. Watch cat videos on YouTube. Make a list of things that you’re looking forward to, be they small or large events in your life: maybe you’re excited for an upcoming movie, game or book. Maybe there’s a wedding that you’re looking forward to or your best friend will be visiting soon. There’s always something exciting that’s about to happen, so keep your spirits up and your chin lifted.
Look, the thing is, finals are a stressful time in everyone’s lives. We all want to do the best that we can, make ourselves and our families proud, and prove to the world just how smart we are—that we’ll make it big, one day; but remember that in order to “make it big,” we’ve also got to pay attention to our emotional and mental and physical well-being. Who you are as a person, matters. You’re not just a grade in a book, you’re an individual person with your own dreams and aspirations. The most important thing of all is to live a happy and healthy life—so stay positive, keep those stress levels in check, and good luck on all of your upcoming exams!
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