For most people, the weeks of studying for finals and the actual week of tests is always of a time of staying up too late, drinking too much caffeine, and stressing yourself the hell out. With all that stress, anxiety, and pressure it's never an easy time. As stressful as finals time may be, remember that your worth is not based on your grade, and know that working as hard as you can is gratifying enough! However, when studying and working gets too nerve-racking, try out some of these stress relievers to get you through your hardest time of finals week:

1. Walk / Exercise

Taking a brief walk or doing any exercise is a great way to relieve yourself of stress and anxiety. Exercise boosts your endorphins (which are similar to the drug morphine) that are natural pain-killers your brain produced when you are under a significant amount of stress. They act as receptors that minimize anxiety and allow you to feel blissful and happy (and stress free)! Taking a leisurely walk around campus, a park, or even a small hike alone can allow you to clear your mind and give your brain a break from all the hard work it's been doing.

2. Knitting

Knitting may sound like an old-fashioned hobby, but repeating the same action over and over is actually a great way to relax and soothe yourself. Your brain likes patterns, like repetitive motor skills, which reduce anxiety. Repetition of words, sounds, and prayers also do this. Cross stitch, jewelry making, or braiding are other easy techniques to use when you feel like relieving yourself of some stress.

3. Journaling / Scrapbooking

Expressing or talking about stress can actually help in reducing it. Keeping a journal, sketchbook, or scrapbook can help let out the feelings of anxiety from school, finals, or any other personal matters. Scrapbooking and drawing promotes relaxation and you can invest yourself in happy memories with your imagination and creativity. Drawing out how you feel, looking at old photos, or writing out your thoughts are all easy and helpful techniques to rid yourself of some stress.

4. Yoga

Maintaining a yoga workout routine has been proven to reduce stress from people's lives. Yoga is a practice that engages both your body and your mind -- it allows you to free your thoughts of an upcoming test, project, or paper, relieving yourself of that anxiety. You meditate, relax, and focus on your breathing. Stress reduction, improved fitness, lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, weight reduction, and increased energy are all benefits of practicing yoga.

5. Meditation

Sometimes there isn't enough time in your busy, busy day to do yoga. Meditation and mindfulness is a quick, easy, and very effective technique used to reduce anxiety. Closing your eyes, taking a lot of deep breathes, and telling yourself you're going to be okay is sometimes all you need to take some of the pressure off, help you focus on studying, or calm yourself down before a test. If you start to practice this every day, even for just 10 minutes, it can decrease stress and anxiety from your life and make you more focused, energetic, and attentive. You don't need to go into a dark corner and start humming "om" -- it's as simple as closing your eyes, taking control of your breathe, and calming your thoughts.