For those of us in college, finals week is quickly approaching. As we all know, finals week means stress, studying, and trying to get the final grade you want.
Finals week means lack of sleep, lots of coffee, and even being on the edge of a breakdown. It's easy to get caught up in the stress that finals week can induce and get hung up on grades; however, it's important to remember that grades aren't the most important thing ever.
Yes, grades are very important. They can help you maintain scholarships, get into the major you want, or help you get an internship. This doesn't mean that you should let worrying about grades destroy your mental health and be all that you obsess over. You should care about your grades and strive to do well on finals, but not to the point where it hurts you.
Stress is inevitable during finals, and no matter how hard we try to avoid it, we can't. While we can't avoid stress, we can take actions to reduce it. Remember to practice self-care during finals: take a walk, pet a puppy, draw a picture, dance, or whatever it takes to ease your mind.
It's easy to fall into unhealthy habits during finals week. You may decide to not sleep at all, or develop a very irregular sleep pattern. You may decide you don't have time to eat, or just indulge in junk food. As you should always do, get enough sleep and eat a well-balanced diet. Your health, both mental and physical, come first, not some exam.
Although it's cliche, remember that your GPA doesn't define you. If you don't do as well as you wanted to in a class or on a final, it's okay; life moves on. If getting that perfect score is at the expense of your mental wellbeing, it's not worth it. Study hard this finals week, but take care of yourself as well. Make sure your friends are doing okay as well. Don't get so hung up on an exam that you put your health at risk.