Finals week often feels like surviving the Hunger Games for most of us college students. We are malnourished, sleep deprived, and impossible to live with because the research papers won't stop coming and no matter how hard we wish, that final exam is still taking place at 7:30 am Monday morning. Our only goal is to survive and spend the rest of our summer finding fun ways to forget everything we just studied. However, during my three years of being a college student I have come to discover that finals week does not have to be endured with our sanity dangling by a thread. There are ways to make it more bearable, if not, enjoyable. Here are my five tips on how to stay alive during this crucial week of exams.
1. Reward Yourself with your favorite drink
Whether your favorite beverage is a fresh cup of java first thing in the morning or a breakfast power smoothie, it is important to acknowledge the small victories as well as the big ones (for example: actually showing up to the 7:30 am final. Good for you! You deserve your favorite drink). Don't postpone the celebrations until every final is over. Not only will you find yourself emotionally spent, but you will be too tired to actually celebrate when the time comes. Instead, take time to bask in the glow of each scholastic triumph.
2. Find a reason to laugh hard
By "laughing hard", I mean clutching-your-stomach-and-crying-out-for-air kind of hard. It isn't enough to merely chuckle or giggle to relieve the piles of stress on your shoulders. You need to potentially asphyxiate from laughter. However, I suggest you do not laugh alone since it can be potentially embarrassing. But I can guarantee that if you laugh all by yourself, before long, others will be laughing with you and with no idea why. If that gets your belly rumbling with laughter, then by all means go for it.
3. Take a nap
Naps are important for survival. Rather than grabbing the study guide for your next final, take a few minutes and simply close your eyes and enjoy not thinking about anything. Whether it is for 20 minutes or two hours, taking a nap will let your brain relax before your next exam as well as prevent you from writing in gibberish for the short answer portion of your final (as college students we are all fluent in gibberish. Sadly our professors aren't).
4. Enjoy beautiful things
Take time within your study schedule to simply enjoy the things you find beautiful. For example, instead of studying in the dark recesses of the library or the cavities within your own dorm room, go outside and review your notes in an open field or on the shores of your favorite beach. Listen to your favorite songs or go on a nature walk and take pictures of cuddly critters in their natural habitat (except when they are sleeping, then you're just being rude). Whatever lifts your spirits or takes your breath away (aside from laughing too hard) enjoy it and keep it in the forefront of your mind whenever you find yourself overwhelmed. In other words, continue to decorate your happy place.
5. Do something spontaneous
Finally, I highly recommend doing something completely spontaneous during finals week. Don't wait until after your exams are over because that completely defeats the purpose. Remember: just because you are a student doesn't mean you are a slave (despite how much you may feel like one at times). You are free to put your notes to the side for an hour or even a day and go on your own mini-adventure. Whether it is slipping your crush an anonymous love letter or taking a trip to Disneyland while everyone else is cramming for their next final exam, do something that requires you to step away from the educational chaos and simply have fun. The beauty of this tip is that it helps you make lasting memories during the most stressful week of the semester. Rather than looking back on finals as the worst week of your life, you can actually smile and remember the good times you went out of your way to find.
