We’ve reached that time of the year again. It’s April, which means we only have a few more weeks of the semester before finals. Summer break is creeping closer and closer, and we all can’t wait to wake up late with messy hair and stroll on over to the beach. The end of the semester can leave anyone feeling anxious and stressed out. Papers, exams, and projects are all piling up and it seems like there is no escaping it. Due dates edge closer as the weather gets warmer and warmer. But you can’t expect yourself to excel or even get work done if you don’t take some time for yourself. Here are some tips to deal with that end of the semester stress:
1) Take a break. Breaks are okay! If you’re pounding it out for hours on hours, you will most likely crash. Caffeine can only keep you going for so long. Take a little break. Your break can be 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour – just whatever feels right for you. Go on a walk, do a quick workout, eat a snack, or just have a solo dance party. Just allow yourself to step away from all that work for a little bit. I promise you it will make you feel better and feel more inspired to pound out the rest of your work.
2) Make sure you’re eating. Food = fuel. Simple as that! It can be easy to forget to eat if you are lost in your work. But, you can’t expect yourself to pound out work for hours on an empty stomach. Yes, cooking can be time-consuming but consider meal prepping to help you through it. Or treat yourself to some Chipotle every now and then. Just make sure you’re eating!
3) Get some sleep. This is super important. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you will not perform your best whatsoever. You will feel sluggish and gross all day. When you’re feeling like that, you don’t want to do anything. Sleep will make you feel energized and ready to take on the day. Also, getting work done is always important, but so is getting enough sleep and staying healthy and on top of your sh*t.
There are many different tips people can give you about dealing with stress, but I think these three are the most important – especially for college students. If you do these three things, I guarantee you that you WILL get your work done, and it will be GOOD work! You can do this. Another three weeks, and you’re free. Can you hear that? It’s the beach calling your name.