No one can prepare you for the stress you will feel during college, especially during midterm season. College brings about many new challenges: how to balance your schoolwork with a social life, how to manage your time and schedule, and how to learn to live in an entirely new environment. But most importantly, you will learn how stressful and aggravating college midterms and exams can be. So I would recommend following these tips in order to lessen your load and relieve your stress just a little bit.
- Practice deep breathing
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This is something that I have just started doing, and I could not be happier that I did. Taking a moment to focus on your breathing and forget about all the stress of school is incredibly important. There are several deep breathing apps on the App Store or even mediation playlists on Spotify that will help guide you.
- Set realistic goals
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When the midterm season rolls around, it is important to set realistic goals for yourself. Do not schedule an absurd amount of work for one night—set aside one or two hours for yourself to relax and be calm. I know it is sometimes easier to just keep doing work and push through the stress, but it is so important to take the time to breathe or enjoy a quick TV show or movie. And trust me, your work is probably not worth all the stress you’re putting into it.
- Don’t do it alone
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There are always people you can turn to when you feel buried in stress. Talk to your advisor, go to your school’s mental health center, have a peer study group, or talk to your teacher. You are not alone, no matter how stressed you feel. There are so many resources available to you, so take advantage of them! And you may not believe me, but everyone else definitely feels just as pressured as you do, and they’re looking for some help too.
- Eat, sleep, and exercise well
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When you’re studying for tests and frantically writing essays, it can be easy to forget about the most important parts of your day: eating, sleeping, and exercise. Make sure to set a time for yourself to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner–and don’t just eat fast food or a granola bar, actually eat a healthy meal. Also, remember to sleep! It can be easy to stay up late preparing for a test, but you will actually perform much better on the test if you are well-rested—so get at least eight hours! Finally, make sure to get some sort of exercise in the day. This does not have to be going to the gym or running for miles, it can be as simple as going for a quick walk or climbing the stairs.
- Believe in yourself
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Maybe the most important advice on this list: believe in yourself. If you believe you can do it, you will do it. Don’t psych yourself out! All we can do is simply do the best we can. And remember: the test is just two hours of your whole life, so don’t stress!
These tips may not unlock the key to success on all college midterms, but they will help to ease your stress just a little bit. You’ve got this!
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