It is officially the most stressful time of the year for college students - finals week. This is the time of the semester where all your teachers show their true colors and give you papers, finals, final projects, problem sets, lesson plans, and anything else you can imagine.
I once had a professor who told me that instead of a final, we all needed to come in and play with play dough and that was going to be 30% of our final grade. The professor was clearly kidding, but the look of enjoyment fellow classmates had before they revealed it was sarcasm showed just how burnt out we are this time of the year. So here are 5 ways to de-stress during finals.
1. Break up all your assignments into smaller ones.
If you are anything like me, you have a ton of assignments due during finals. What I like to do is make sure that I write down one long to-do list with little check boxes, so I can check off my assignments as I finish them; however, I also like to break assignments up into daily increments. This is really helpful because even though I have so much to do, I only know I need to finish two or three things that day. This makes it all look that more doable.
2. *Inhale* and *Exhale*
As silly as it seems, remember to breathe. Finals are stressful for everyone. Everyone is worried about their GPA and getting everything done. However, we all need to remember to breathe. Our GPA doesn't define you. You can always take a class over again if you don't do so well or you can do a grade appeal. So instead of freaking out during finals about your GPA, use that energy for studying, who knows it might boost your GPA.
3. Take a break!
Although the infamous break between Ross and Rachel will never allow what he did to be acceptable- sorry Ross, you and your academics need a break for some "me time." You may have taken a lot of "me time" during the semester, but it is important to take a little break now and then when studying and doing final projects/papers because those breaks will aide in your ability to focus.
4. Take a shower.
Showers are good for many reasons. Taking a shower can help clear your mind and allow you to be able to go back to studying with a fresh pair of eyes. It also may just help you relax after a long day of finals. Also, you will be doing your peers a favor by giving them something nice to smell in the library or during the final exam.
5. Get some sleep.
Sleep is a vital part of a functioning life. As tempting as pulling an all-nighter is, it isn't beneficial for you at all. Sleep deprivation doesn't help you do better on your exams or finals-sorry to all the people who hang out in the quiet room cramming all night. Try to get at minimum 5 hours of sleep each night, especially before finals. However, sometimes it physically is impossible to sleep before your finals, so take a nap after the exam to get you refreshed for your long night ahead!
