It’s that time of the year again. The time of no sleep, constant stress and wanting to pull your hair out at least every three hours: finals week has arrived. It may feel like an entire week of swimming under water, but there are some simple way to help maintain your sanity during finals!
Take breaks
Now, not the one hour of Netflix per ten minutes of studying type thing… But seriously, take breaks. No matter how much work you need to get done, you’ll have time for a ten minute phone call, walk or even quick nap! It will help you stay focused once you sit back down to study, so really it is a win-win!
Exercise
You may not have time to hit the gym during finals, which is fine! Take a detour on your way to the library, take the stairs instead of the elevator or simply do a five-minute workout session (there are tons of videos online) in your dorm room; anything helps! Moving around a little will make you feel energized, plus exercise releases endorphins that will help get rid of that I’m-not-going-to-make-it-out-of-here-alive kind of feeling!
Don’t forget to eat (and no, exessive amount of chocolate doesn’t count!)
When was the last time you had a decent meal? Like something including vegetables and protein but excluding sugar? With the risk of sounding like your mom: make sure to eat at least one nutrious meal a day. Oh, and one glass of water for every cup of coffee, people!
Sleep
This is key. Try to avoid pulling all-nighters (or at least too many of them). According to Phsycology Today, sleep actually improves the gelling of memory for recently encoded information: it keeps new memories from being disrupted by interfering experiences and consolidates memories according to their relative importance. That being said, don’t neclect the zzz!