Finals Week is coming and you can feel it in the air. This is an easy time to stress, lose sleep, lose drive and over-exert yourself in the name of getting things done. In case nobody has told you yet, you shouldn't live that way. Here are the seven things you need to know before you dive headfirst into the abyss:
1. Everybody is in the same boat as you, so be kind and make space for relationships and community.
My experience has been that there are few times during the year when people are more willing to make friends than in the days leading up to finals week. We are all in need of someone to come alongside us. We are all a little goofy. We are all at our best and worst. Some of my best friendships were formed in the hours before exams.
2. You are not defined by your grades.
Believe it or not, most of the people over the course of your life will not remember what grade you made in Spanish, and most graduate schools don't actually expect perfection. What people will remember is how much you cared, how you made them feel and how well you lived life. So figure out what defines you and hold it close. If you don't know what defines you, then you have discovered what being a 20-something is all about.
3. Extra studying is not as important as self-care.
Because not taking care of yourself is not cool and not glamorous. I'm not gonna throw numbers at you, but here are the basics:
Choosing to study over what is considered necessary for your body to function (good food, adequate sleep, taking time to let your mind rest and be happy) will hurt your grades. It has been proven time and time again that when you neglect self-care, you are setting yourself up for doing lower-quality work and being less productive.
Now get some sleep.
4. It honestly won't be as bad as you think it will be.
You know what will happen in two weeks when finals are over? You will realize that you had more time than you thought and shouldn't have been so worried. How do I know this? It happens to me. Every. Single. Year. So do your work. Pace yourself. You have 24 hours every day. The only thing worrying about things getting worse will do is make things worse.
5. Scheduling and enjoying the downtime will make studying easier.
When your mind starts to wander and you have been studying for three hours, it is a sign that your brain needs a break to process the information. Your brain is like a loaf of bread. (just stay with me here...) Have you ever watched someone make bread? The number one rule of making bread is that once it starts to rise, you have to leave it alone. If you keep on fidgeting with it and try to add things, the product will never come full circle. It will be hard as a rock and all your time and energy will be wasted. Your brain is a complex super-computer—it processes information deeply and thoroughly. It takes time.
So take a break. Get a cup of coffee. Allow yourself to look at cat memes. Catch an episode (just one) of "Friends," "Daredevil," "New Girl" or (if you must) "Fuller House." Let your work time be work time, and schedule your play time. That way, you can be both productive and happy.
6. Going out of your way to help someone can be a serious pick-me-up.
Nothing is better than someone going out of their way to bring you Dunkin' or share their study notes, right? Do you know how that happens? People like you decide to go out of their way to make this world a better place. I believe the quote is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Taking care of others is a way of life that adds value to your every day and sets you up to be taken care of in the future. So be kind.
7. For those of you who choose to stress anyways, you could always move to Canada if your grades don't pan out.
