As assignments, essays, and midterms start to pile up, practicing basic self-care can easily fall to the wayside. After all, when you barely have enough time to finish your mandatory assignments, how are you supposed to pencil in time for yourself?
But taking care of business and taking care of yourself don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You can incorporate self-care practices into your study schedule to not only improve your mentality but also your efficiency in your academics. Below I’ve included my favorite study tips to help get through the stress of midterms and school in general. So take a deep breath — it’s all going to be ok!
- get outside
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Getting out of your room or just getting a change of scenery can improve your mood and jump-start your brain. The fresh air doesn’t hurt either. I personally love taking my computer or notes to Riverside Park and working on one of the many benches available there. As it gets colder, libraries like Milstein have large windows and comfortable seats so you can stay warm and cozy while getting the benefits of changing location.
- take a stroll
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Walking gets the blood pumping and wakes you up. If you’re stressed about wasting time on a walk, multi-task as you get your exercise. You can listen to a podcast or a lecture on your phone or, if you’re extremely talented, even read as you move (just don’t run into a pole!).
- set timers
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When you’re stressed, it can be easy to reach for your phone or to procrastinate to offset the anxiety. Of course, this only increases your stress as you lose hours on TikTok while your homework stares you down. Setting thirty or forty-minute timers — where you put your phone away and focus only on what needs to be done – can eliminate distractions. After your timer goes off, make yourself take a break and indulge in all the distractions you want for a few minutes. Then start another timer and put your phone away. This cycle is good for establishing a routine while also not causing you burnout.
- make studying social
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During midterms and finals, it can feel like you haven’t seen your friends in weeks. The combination of this isolation and the academic stress you’re facing can be bad for your mental health. If you can’t put away time to catch up with friends among all your other activities, try to include them in your study schedule. Simply sitting in the library with your friends by your side can lessen the stressful and intimidating nature of studying. Of course, this requires dedication on both your parts to separate social time with periods of focus, but if you can master this skill, studying can become a social activity that benefits everyone.
- listen to music
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Music (at least for me) is calming and centering, which can be exactly what you need when you’re stressing tf out about school. It’s also a good tool against external distractions, like the football players yelling in the library or your roommate who is FaceTiming her long-distance boyfriend behind you. I find acoustic or chillhop music is best for when you’re really trying to work and not just vibe out to your favorite songs. My favorite study playlist at the moment is LoFi on Spotify.
- plan it out
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Having a planner or calendar is good for a variety of reasons. Obviously, it helps keep track of and organize your assignments and tests and any other commitments you may have. But writing things down in my planner also helps me keep things in perspective. If you’re having anxiety about all the work you have in front of you, the very idea of starting an assignment can seem impossible. Which do you start first? What’s the most important? Why even start anything when you have too much to ever possibly get done by the deadline? Writing things down makes them manageable and shows that you don’t have an endless to-do list. I also like to include events to look forward to in my planner, so I remember that there is more to life than just completing assignments and that I have things to look forward to in my life.
- Treat yourself
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Don’t feel like you have to wait until you get an “A” to gift yourself something that you know will make you happy. Just putting in the time and effort to do your work is enough to warrant a little something for yourself. Whether it’s a chocolate muffin or maybe a new pair of shoes you saw in an online shopping break, that little rush of dopamine will help you stay motivated and keep your mood up so you can keep getting your stuff done.
I hope these little tips will help you as school gets harder. Remember to prioritize taking care of yourself because your ability to do school work is dependent on your ability to function.