As I’m writing this, I’m laying in my bed with an acne-covered face, bags under my eyes, and a general fatigue. I expect a lot of other people out there came home from college feeling and looking, the same way I do. However, now that I am home, returning to my routine, and taking care of myself is exactly how I plan on spending my holiday break, so I’d like to share my tips with all the other college students, suffering from the post-exam season horror, too.
Return to Routine
First of all, finals week took a lot out of me. My sleep schedule and eating schedule were completely messed up. I was falling asleep in the early mornings and waking up at 1:00 pm (if I didn’t have an exam that day, that is). That meant I was eating much later and found myself getting hungrier quicker, as I skipped most of my meals just by sleeping. Now, before I go back to school, the hope is that I will start being able to wake up at my regular time and eat as I regularly do to return to the desperately needed norm.
Skin Care
As I mentioned before, my face is sorta a mess. The return to my sleep routine, where I will be getting healthy hours of sleep will definitely help with the bags under my eyes. During finals, I’d find myself falling asleep in my makeup more frequently than I’d like to admit, so the first order of business is to wash my face and find the skin care routine that will best fix my problems. That means I’ll probably have to make a trip to Sephora– but I’m okay with that.
Relaxing
Schools finally out for the semester! Now, I can shamelessly watch The Office, and not have to worry about how many papers I need to write, or how many exams I have left. Curling up on my bed, wearing my favorite College of Charleston hoodie, with a hot cup of tea, without a care in the world is how you’ll find me for the next two weeks, and I highly advise everyone to do the same.
Enjoy Time with Family and Friends
Since I am seven hours away from home, part of my self-care routine following finals that is a must is spending time with family, and my friends. Since I go to college so far away from my hometown, it is a huge relief to be back home right after finals. Spending time with my family means that I get to be back to what my normal was for 18 years and that’s comforting to me. I also highly recommend making plans with friends from home too, as now is the time where everyone will be in the same place at the same time.
Think Back on the Semester
Going back over what happened this semester may be stressful, especially considering finals, but definitely think back about all the great memories you made. In my case, that means meeting a handful of people that have impacted my life in the best kinds of ways, including my best friend and boyfriend, both of whom I met through this semester.
Now’s the time for recovery after finals, and so take care of yourself, especially if you didn’t during finals week.