Help! It's Finals Week!

It’s the most wonderful stressful time of the year. The amount of papers to be written and tests to study for is outrageous. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with everything that has to get done, but here are a few things to consider in order to maintain sanity in this crazy time.

1. You will survive! (Hey-Hey!)

It’s easy to place all of our worth and tell ourselves that our children’s children will not succeed if we don’t get an A. But truthfully, life is about a lot more then a class and a degree. Who you are will always mean more then what you get. The world is not going to end after this exam, you will get through!

2. Don't forget about your friends!

When overwhelmed, we tend to crawl into our shell and forget about the world around us. But sometimes what will be our biggest relief is the community we surround ourselves with.

3. Take a break!

We often convince ourselves that working for hours on end will help us the most. But studies show that a 5-10 minute break every one to two hours can help you stay on you’re A-game because, let’s be honest, there’s nothing worse than studying in vain.

4. Limit social media.

Try cutting out Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat for a few hours. Sure it may sound hard, but your focus will be on the current task at hand, which will probably help you finish sooner.

5. Some sleep is better than no sleep!

All-nighters sometimes may be the answer, but try to find time to nap the next day. It will help you for the rest of your week if you find some time to rejuvenate.

6. Find a favorite study spot.

Whether it is in the library, your dorm room, or in your local coffee house, find a place where you are comfortable but also productive. For me, anywhere with coffee works!

7. Try eating right!

The key word here is "try" because trust me, I totally get it. As a college student it's easier to eat a bunch of junk than to really think about what we are putting in our body. But while we are putting our body into a different pattern, be it less sleep or more caffeine, try nourishing yourself with something a bit better for you.

8. Make a list of what you have to do!

This is something that I have found to help me persevere. When I see a list of things I have to do, it is encouraging to see the list getting smaller. Even when I have to add more to it, the fact that there are some things that have already been done helps me keep pushing forward.

9. Drink some coffee.

This isn’t really a suggestion with any merit behind it, but what can I say? I love coffee. With that, use the things you like as motivation to get things done. Tell yourself that after so much is done, you can go get your favorite food/drink/snack. It sounds lame, I know, but trust me, food is the best motivator.

10. Be your own cheerleader!

We don’t need any help in the area of bringing ourselves down, the world does that for us. But in these trying times, make sure you don’t lose sight of what has already been done. You are almost there! You can do it! Just keep swimming!

11. Do whatever works for you.

I love my friends, they’re some of the greatest people I have ever encountered, but I’ve learned what works for them doesn’t always work for me. For example, I simply cannot work in silence because I get lost in my own thoughts, whereas my best friend can work in silence or with noise. We’ve been friends since fourth grade and in the time since then I’ve learned to accept that we are different. The way she studies may work for her, but will not necessarily work for me and that’s OK! Studying with friends is great, just make sure it is in your best studying interest.

In the end, finals will be over in a few weeks and we will either be preparing for it to start all over again in the fall or going into what they call the real world. As you go back to studying, I want to leave you with the reminder that you are not alone, for we are all in the ocean sinking together.