We are approaching that most dreaded time of the year: the week before finals, known to most of us as dead week. This week is not just “dead” because things shut down as students prepare for finals, but is “dead” because the students are at a point in the semester where that is exactly how they feel. We are deprived of sleep, overloaded with caffeine and thinking of the swiftly approaching summer. So, as dead week comes upon us, it can be easy to feel stressed, overwhelmed and filled with anxiety, as finals draw nearer and nearer. Due to this time, I thought it might be helpful to list out some ways that you can take care of yourself during this tumultuous time, and, hopefully, make it through dead week alive:
1. Don’t procrastinate.
I understand that this is obvious, but also very hard advice to follow as a procrastinator myself. However, you can save yourself a lot of stress if you stay on top of those final papers, projects, and assignments that are due at the end of the semester. If you wait until the night before your first final, it will only add to the exhaustion and stress that you are already feeling. Be diligent about completing these things now so that you feel free to take your finals without other obligations hanging over your head.
2. Spend some time outside.
Staring at the same four walls and the same computer screen for hours on end is enough to drive a person crazy. A breath of fresh air and some exercise will do a lot of good for getting out of your own head. A break will allow you to concentrate harder upon your return to your work, and exercise will help relieve some of the stress that you have stored up in your body. Get out and take a walk, kick a ball around, or head to the gym. Just don’t stay trapped in your room.
3. Eat right.
Bingeing on potato chips and Ben and Jerry’s is not going to make your week go any smoother. In fact, it will more than likely make you feel worse. Stress eating may be a reality for some of you, but I encourage you to make it a priority to fuel your body with foods that will actually help your brain to function and your insides to work the way they’re supposed to.
4. Don’t feel guilty taking time to spend with friends.
Although schoolwork and grades are important, so are the people around you. It is completely ok to take a study break to spend some time with the people you care about. With the summer approaching, it is important to remember even in the midst of frantic studying that the people you see on a daily basis now may not be such a prominent part of your life when you leave school at the end of the semester. Take advantage of the time you have now and don’t let obsessive studying get in the way of important relationships in your life.
5. Put it in perspective.
Although finals seem like a big determiner of one’s grades, and consequently one's future, sometimes it helps relieve some stress to consider how much this final will actually matter days, months, or years down the road. This does not mean that we should put any less effort into our final exams; this simply means that finals should not be an enormous source of stress. Life will go on, I promise. God is still in control, I promise. If you do not do as well on a final as you hope, things will still be ok. Remind yourself of these facts when you feel overwhelmed with studying or if you feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Whether or not you choose to follow these pieces of advice, it is my hope that you make it through dead week alive. Only a few more weeks, my friends, and we will be free. I will pray that I see you on the other side.
