At this point, trudging through these finals has become a tedious chore. Spring Break continues to inch nearer, but it only seems a million billion miles away. I can feel the cortisol levels exceed its maximum possible level, which is utterly impossible for this to occur whilst still maintaining stable productivity throughout. With the increase in cortisol levels comes negativity and exhaustion. Studies have shown that high cortisol levels for a prolonged period of time has negative consequences on memory and productivity, which is why I have chosen to write on ways in which to destress and effectively utilize the time before those last finals are hammered out.
Between studying, take short breaks to allow your mind to play a little catch up and not overwhelm the lightning speed in which I'm sure many of you are trying to cram the past 10 weeks' content into your brain. I use a pomodoro timer, which is a time-management technique that does just that.
Traditionally, the pomodoro timer features 25 minutes of uninterrupted work, followed by a short break of 3-5 minutes. Repeat this cycle four times, until you finish the 4th working session of 25 minutes, however follow this with a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This technique is obviously completely adaptable to your personal attention span/needs. I personally do 25(work)-5(rest)-25-10-50-15-25-5 and repeat, respectively.
The objective of this technique is to recognize the distractions we are often faced with, especially those on smartphones, and utilize that as efficiently as possible. Instead of huge chunks of "studying" where your brain is overwhelmed and overworked from high cortisol and you check your phone every so often and procrastinate a little more, you maximize the productivity of both. Afterall, we are only human.
The pomodoro timer allows me to remind myself the importance of balance, as is required for everything in life. Because of this timer, I am able to maximize both my productivity in studying and my efficiency in a proper mental break in between. Not every mental break in the pomodoro cycle is spent aimlessly scrolling, and let's be honest, vainly, through social media platforms. While I'm by no means saying that you shouldn't do so, as I find myself doing exactly that every few hours. I am most certainly a product of my environment--addicted to social media on occasion (that's most certainly an understatement). However, I like to change up the way I spend these mental breaks in the hopes of rejuvenating balance in different ways.
Some pomodoro breaks are simply spent in silence, in deep meditation, while others are spent wandering around the outdoors (especially recently, as it begins to warm up around here) simply breathing in some fresh air. Other times, I dance to myself listening to a few destressing songs and induce weird looks from people around me (Oops), just long enough to increase dopamine levels and allow myself to approach more studying positively and refreshed.
Of course, no one is obligated to try this technique, however I strongly urge you all to do so, at one point or another. Try the standard 25( work) -5(rest)-25-5-25-5-25-15, and if that isn't quite what your brain needs, then adjust accordingly! It's a simple technique, with huge rewards. Lastly, I hope everyone's finals go splendidly, and that you all know that you are spectacular and can trudge through these final obligations before a well-deserved Spring Break.
