The end of the semester is approaching everyone is beginning to feel stressed. It is so easy to allow the stress to overcome and overwhelm you. Take a deep breath and follow these five tips to finish the semester strong.
1. Plan ahead. It is so easy to procrastinate and push things off that aren’t due for a couple weeks. Instead of waiting until the night before to finish a project that was assigned weeks before, start it as soon as possible and work on it a little bit everyday. You won’t feel as overwhelmed if you take the project step by step instead of rushing to do a weeks worth of stuff in a night. Your body and mind will thank you.
2. Prioritize. We all are busy and have a million things to do all the time. It is important to prioritize what is most important so you can get everything done without forgetting something and stressing to complete it. Decide what is most important to you and make a to-do list that prioritizes the day’s events.
3. Take a break. Especially for me, it is so hard to stop what I’m doing and just let myself relax. I get even more stressed when I feel like I’m wasting time that could be spent working or completing tasks. No one is built to be able to run 24/7 all the time without any breathers. Take 15 minutes when things start to feel like too much to sit back and breathe. This doesn’t mean going on your phone and scrolling through social media but instead just closing your eyes and breathing. Taking some time to reflect and calm down can prove to be extremely beneficial to your overall productivity.
4. Sleep. I know we all think that we can run on coffee and our own will but we can’t. We need sleep to refresh our minds and maintain health. Taking every possible measure to avoid getting sick will drastically prevent stress and sleeping is a key component to maintaining good health. Not sleeping will make our days even harder and will reduce our motivation to get work done which then causes us to have more stuff to do closer to their deadlines.
5. Take time to do things you enjoy. We easily forget to take time out of our day to do something that will bring joy to our lives. The pressure to get everything done can make us forget to do something fun in our days. Whether it be hanging out with your friends or painting a picture, it is vital to do something that will bring joy to your day to avoid stress.
I hope these tips help you get through the semester and I wish everyone the best of luck these next few weeks. We are all capable of finishing strong and you will feel so accomplished once winter break comes. Try to enjoy yourself and follow these guidelines to make the most out of this semester.