Finals week is upon us everyone, and like most of you, finals stress me out to the max. If I get through them all without crying once, it’s an actual miracle. However, even with the chaos that comes with finals week, self-care is still important. I’ve found that taking care of myself during finals week, instead of pulling all-nighters and running off energy drinks, has actually helped me do better on my exams. So, please, follow some of these tips and take care of yourself—your body will thank you.
Hydrate
I’m probably going to sound like everyone’s mom for a second but stick with me. Water is your FRIEND. You cannot survive off of coffee, I promise. Staying hydrated is not only good for you no matter what time of the year it is, but it will also help prevent those pounding headaches that come along with dehydration. Staying hydrated also helps your brain work the way it is supposed to so it’ll be easier to retain all of the information you’re studying.
Get Enough Sleep
All-nighters really aren’t that great for you. Your body needs sleep to function properly and not getting enough affects your entire body. Going to sleep is the equivalent of plugging in your phone and we all know how well your phone works when its dead (it doesn’t). I’m as guilty as any other college student—I’ve pulled all-nighters way more than I should have and I always feel the effects of them the next day. Sleep is also necessary to turn short-term memories into long-term ones. Without it, those formulas you just studied for calculus? Gone. Out the window. Say goodbye. Most of us like sleeping at the worst times but this week, try to sleep at the right time.
Take a Break
*cue Hamilton soundtrack* There is an entire chunk of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton that shows how well not taking a break went for Alexander Hamilton. The man cheated on his wife, got blackmailed, exposed himself, and got yelled at by his sister-in-law. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a great time to me. Obviously not taking a break during finals week probably won’t lead to that same timeline of events (at least I hope not) but you should still take a break. Staring at the same material for hours starts to bore me and I lose focus and begin mindlessly flipping through my notes. Setting a timer for 20 minutes and scrolling through Twitter, watching TikToks, getting a snack, etc. makes it a lot easier for me to pull myself back into studying when the timer goes off. Also, who really wants to stare at lecture notes for hours on end? Not me.
Eat
This sounds like an obvious one, but I know how easy it can be to get sucked into something and not notice the time. When I say eat, I mean to step away from your studying, make a real meal that isn’t a bag of chips, and eat it away from your studying. Healthy foods are the best, but I know that’s not always the easiest option so at least try to eat something filling. Pasta is my favorite during finals week because it’s comfort food, but everyone is different.
Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
I’ve always dealt with awful anxiety, especially when it comes to testing. Imagining the worst and telling myself that I’m going to fail is almost second nature, so I get how hard finals week can mentally be. One thing I’ve really tried to do is to take a breather if I feel myself getting too stressed out. Finals are important, we all know this, but finals are not an excuse to push your own health to the side. You cannot be your best, most efficient self if you’re struggling. Taking time away, stopping to play with your pets, or talking to your family or friends because you’re stressed is much better than bottling it up and trying to push your limits.
At the end of the day, we’re all in this together when it comes to finals week. It doesn’t matter what your major is, we all are stressing over whether or not we know the materials. We’ll get through it together and then we get a few months of freedom from Canvas notifications. Good luck everyone!
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