Everyone knows the end of the semester is a crazy time of the year. Not only must you prepare for finals week, but you also get bombarded with group projects, presentations, and essays that professors want to fit in before the end of the year. Students start to fill all of their free time with short study sessions, and they become more stressed as more and more assignments creep up on them and as finals get closer. They start to sacrifice their mental and physical health in order to study, finish essays, and further prepare for other assignments.
Here are some easy ways to relax and de-stress during finals week that can take less than 15 minutes, so you don’t have to sacrifice too much study time, while still taking care of yourself.
1. Take a Snack Break
While studying is important, so is your physical health. Make sure that you are eating regularly (and healthily, if you can), as well as taking the chance to hydrate yourself. Eating will raise your blood sugar and your energy levels, which can help improve your concentration, so you can focus on your studies.
2. Go on a Walk
Get your blood pumping and take a short walk around campus, or even just through the halls of your dorm if it is too cold outside for you. Any physical activity releases endorphins in the brain that helps with stress relief and mood improvement, so if you can’t afford to hit the gym during finals, make sure that you are moving around in some other form.
If taking walks isn’t your style, Yoga with Adriene on YouTube offers 10-15 minute yoga tutorials for you to follow from the comfort of your dorm.
3. Clean Your Room
During the hectic days leading up to and during finals week, it can be easy just to dump everything where it is the most convenient. However, studies show that cleaning can actually help relax you. Everyday, dedicate just 15 minutes to cleaning at least some of the clutter somewhere in your dorm, doing the dishes, or vacuuming or sweeping the floor. Not only will you be less stressed from less clutter, but when you finish, you will feel more relaxed and ready to go back to working.
4. Laugh It Out
Just like cleaning reduces stress, laughter has also been proven to help release tension and stimulate your heart, lungs, and muscles to help your body function better. So when you find yourself deep in the study zone and you can feel the stress level rising, take a short break and pull up your favorite Vine compilation or comedy skit, or laugh with your friends.
5. Have a Dance Party
Another great way to get moving, as well as increase self-esteem, mental functioning, and overall wellbeing, is through dancing. When you need a break from sitting and staring at your textbook or laptop screen, create a Spotify playlist of songs that you love and blast them while you dance out all your stress. Not only will it be fun, but you can reap in the benefits that dancing brings with it! Invite your friends to join you, and you can make it even more fun.
There are many ways to take care of yourself during finals, however, they are often overlooked due to time constraints that students have because of their busy schedules. Please take the time to try these tips during finals week this year so that you can help take better care of yourself without losing any well-needed study time.