It's final exam season and you know what that means!
Stress levels are through the roof because you have four to seven exams to study for, anywhere from ten to a million huge assignments due on top of that and trying to remember to fit meals and sleep in between study sessions. As a student with anxiety, I know how high the stress can build up. Over the past few years, I have collected many different tips that have helped me immensely with the last week of classes and finals week! Hopefully, they are helpful for you as well!
1. To-do lists
I don't know about you all, but post it notes consume my desk in my room. I get incredibly stressed out whenever I don't make to-do lists for every day! On those lists, I write down assignments I should work on or get started on that day, as well as grocery lists and small reminders to do random things, like laundry or call my mom.
2. Schedule like it's your job.
Your agenda is going to be your best friend, believe it or not. If you write in your agenda daily and check it frequently, you're more likely to stay organized and on task. Something that really helps me is to write down times to organize when I'm going to work on certain assignments. This allows me to not overload and to try and utilize my time on my work in that class.
3. Pretty notes are a major key.
Where are all my artistic ladies at?! Whenever I study for an exam, I always rewrite my notes in an orderly way with many different colored pens and highlighters. The different colors stimulate my thinking and help me focus more than I normally would when reading over boring, black and white printed off notes.
4. Practice self control.
If you're like me and have zero self control, there is an app you can install onto your computer to help you! Self Control allows you to type in websites that you should be blocked from while studying and also allows you to pick how long you should be blocked from those websites. This has helped me so much during dreadful late nights of studying. It's super simple to download and I highly suggest it if you have a hard time focusing! Just google "Self Control app" and follow the directions for downloading! :-)
5. Take breaks.
Breaks while studying are literally life savers. Picture this, you're on a boat while studying and soon enough, your head starts pounding from all the information your brain just gathered. Suddenly, you're drowning in the terms and theories that you struggled with and you just cannot focus on anything else. A break comes along and you're finally back on your boat, relaxing. How great does that feel? I'm serious, breaks save lives. But I would suggest only 15 to 20 minute breaks! Breaks that go any longer will more than likely result in you not resuming your work.
6. Let's eat!
Let's try to avoid the McDonald's cravings while studying late at night because that fat is not going to help stimulate your thinking at all. I have read previously that blueberries, almonds, and dark chocolate are great study snacks! Just try to be mindful what you eat and drink while studying because all the calories from coffee and candy bars can really pile up!
7. Sleep is love... Sleep is life
You should be getting between six to eight hours of sleep each night! This tip is going to be really helpful whenever you have early exams! And I mean, who doesn't love extra sleep?
8. Coloring isn't just for kids.
Adult coloring books are an amazing way to cope with stress, especially if you have an artistic mind, like me. During one of your study breaks, this could be a nice way to spend that 15 to 20 minutes!
9. Listen to music.
I know a lot of people focus a lot easier when they're listening to music. I have several study playlists on my Spotify account that include a lot of upbeat, yet calming, indie music. Although, everyone has their own preference on what kind of music they focus best to!
10. Work, work, work, work, work (out).
It has been proven that working out when you wake up early in the mornings stimulates your brain and also helps you gain energy for the rest of the day! This is one of my favorite things to do and I can tell you, first hand, that this works! I always have so much more energy when I wake up and go work out versus whenever I don't work out!
11. Spa night!
Spa nights are always a great way to relax. Grab a face mask, some nail polish, a few of your girlfriends and chill out. This could be a great idea for a study party as well!
12. A clean work area is a happy work area.
Keeping all of your belongings in an organized way while studying will prevent papers from being misplaced and having to rummage through your huge pile of papers and books to find something. Having a clean work area will also decrease your stress levels! Plus, it makes you look like you actually have your life together!
13. Dress for success.
Okay, so this is probably the #1 thing that I tend to slack on. I like to think that "dress for success" means that you dress the way you would like to succeed. I've read studies that say that getting all dressed up in nicer clothes will improve your test scores, but I just prefer to be comfortable. I'm 100% okay with succeeding in my sweatpants and t-shirt.
I guarantee that if you begin utilizing at least a few of these tips, you will instantly start feeling more relieved and more productive, as well. I hope that these help you ace your finals! Good luck, y'all!
