Finals are here! Which is good, because it means one more semester has come and gone, but it also means stress is heightened! Squeezing in those last few grades in hope to finish off the semester right. With all the craziness going on around us, it’s important to make sure you’re still taking time to take care of yourself. Yes, physically but right now more than ever it’s important to focus on practicing self-care within. With a great deal of time being spent studying make sure you’re still putting emphasis on some simple things that can help you take care of yourself during these hectic times.
1) Eating healthy
Seems like an innocent idea, to grab something fast on the way home to study or even on the way to an exam, but studies show that eating healthier, clean foods can help with studying and retaining information when compared to French fries and other fried foods typically found in fast food menus.
2) Drink water
When you’re finishing a paper or up late studying for an exam it’s likely you’ll turn to coffee for an extra kick. Although it may seem ideal to add caffeine to the mix to keep you awake and focused, not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, which can lead to exhaustion so make sure to keep a water bottle nearby!
3) Make sure to get enough sleep
Tying into the last point, sometimes you might feel you need to stay up and pull an all-nighter studying, but studies have shown that this can lead to retaining less material. Your best bet is to listen to your body, if you feel tired, go to sleep. As a student, I know that this isn’t always plausible so my recommendation is to plan out some naps between studying, this way you get the sleep you need and can stay up a little later to write those papers without feeling terrible the next morning.
4) Take a breath
Your grades are very important but so is your health. Make sure you’re taking time to yourself to pull away from school-related things, whether that’s meditating, or reading, or even just watching your favorite show for 30 mins. Make some ‘you’ time and don’t feel guilty about taking breaks if you need it. This time is for yourself will help prevent burning out during finals season.
Self-care gets blown into this big thing, lighting candles, taking spa days, and while all those things are nice they aren’t particle for times when we really need it like finals. Self-care does not have to be the extensive facial routines and a room full of candles. As long as you are doing what feels right and healthy for yourself, that qualifies as self-care. So even if you can only spare 5 minutes, just take a breath, remember this will be over soon, Good luck on your finals!