This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.
With finals just around the corner, just thinking about questions we need to answer seems like an impossible task. But in order to do well in class, giving yourself an emotional self-audit can really help propel you into being the most successful student you can be! Plus, I guarantee these questions are not nearly as hard as the ones you’ll see on your final exams.
1. What Is The First Thing That Pops Into Your Head In The Morning?
When you wake up in the morning, are you automatically stressed about the presentation you have to give in the afternoon? Beginning your day with anything but a positive mindset is kind of setting yourself up for failure before you even have a chance to start your morning! You can remedy this by giving yourself time when you wake up to refresh, do yoga, meditate, even blasting your favorite music to get in the ~zone~ for the day!
2. What Is The Last Thing In Your Mind Before You Fall Asleep?
Similarly, going to sleep thinking about your homework that you didn’t get done will probably leave you with not a great night’s sleep. The best part about being able to go to sleep is that it’s a chance to recharge and start fresh in the morning — so don’t waste your opportunity to recharge yourself!
3. What Is Your “Me Time” Activity?
Giving yourself an ample amount of relaxation time during the day is vital to be successful and productive when you do get down to work. Even if it’s only 30 minutes listening to your music on the commute on the train, giving your mind the chance to relax and empty itself of any school-related info can be seriously helpful, especially when it comes to finals at the end of the semester.
4. Where Is Your “Focus Zone”?
Now that you’ve established what your “me time” zone is, where is the place that your body and mind automatically register as “work zone”? Sure, you could study in your bed, curled up in your comfiest PJ’s with pillows everywhere, but that just sounds like a recipe for disaster. Establishing a routine place for you to get studying and writing done makes it easier to both get into the productive mindset and get out of it when you’re done and ready to relax!
5. Are You Accomplishing Everything On Your To-Do List?
If you’re looking at your to-do list at the end of the day and realizing that a lot is going unfinished, you might have a problem. Giving yourself goals at the start of each day is good to keep yourself motivated and productive, but it becomes an issue when you set goals that are too high to be completed realistically. If you make sure you don’t give yourself too much to do in one day, you won’t feel totally disappointed with yourself at night, because you’ll (hopefully!) have gotten everything done!
6. Who Are The People In Your Support Group?
This last question to ask might be the most important on this list. Establishing a close group of people that you can rely on for support when you have to be honest with yourself and say, “hey, I can’t do this all by myself” can really make a huge difference in your mental health. It can be one or two friends or even your parents, so long as you have someone you can count on to provide you with support and an ear to listen when you need to vent.
If you’re finding yourself stressed in the months leading up to finals, run through some of these questions in your head! With any luck, you’ll be on your way to stress-free land in no time!
Good luck with your self-audit, guys!