End of Semester Self Care: What Your Mind and Body Actually Need

Finals are just around the corner, and I don’t know about you, but I already feel my anxiety building up. Finals are probably one of the most stressful times of the year, other than the random weeks professors choose to all have tests at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, grades are so important, but sometimes we just need to detach ourselves from them for a bit. It’s easy to get very lost in the anxiety of test season. 

At least for myself, I tend to feed off other people’s energy. So when others are extremely anxious, I feel it too. So I think during this time it can be important to just decompress a bit alone. Your mind needs to feel relaxed, and honestly, just have no thoughts for once. Your brain during finals is constantly working and you’re thinking about all the things you need to remember or do. So taking a nap, doing meditation or doing yoga is so beneficial during this time. The last thing you want to happen is to burn out. Otherwise, you won’t be able to accomplish anything. It’s also important for us to realize it’s okay to take a break. Breaks help us rejuvenate ourselves. Think of it as drinking an energy drink. It allows you to bring that bit of life back and get back at the grind. 

While alone time can be very crucial during finals, we can also always use a good distraction. Socializing is also a great way to help cope during this time. Hanging out with friends for even just thirty minutes can help you destress and have a little fun. These times definitely tense us all up and it’s important to let loose. Who knows, maybe you can turn it into a group therapy session and release all your feelings about this week. That too can be very beneficial to do.

Something else I love to do during this time is to just get my body moving. I personally love taking walks around campus. I plug in my AirPods and listen to music or a podcast and just take in the scenery. This helps calm me, and once again distracts my mind from the thoughts of finals and my work. I think also getting your body up from sitting for hours helps you wake up a bit. It’s like a reset in a way.

A key takeaway here is that your body and mind need distractions and breaks during this stressful time. There’s a ton to do during this time, but we mustn’t overwork ourselves. The more we give it time to rest, the better we can perform on our tests. So good luck this finals season, and hopefully this helped you!