A lot of people may just be relaxed after finals are finally over. For those of you like me who actually feel more stressed after a period of life-ruining to normalcy, however, I know that you know the feeling.
It’s kind of the absolute worst. We really went from thinking about acing finals, dealing with at least two mental breakdowns a day, keeping up social antics to a level, and eating breakfast, to absolutely nothing. My brain went from working on overdrive and caving in to having to suddenly fill the time with something– if I didn’t, I’d get frustrated and I’d be back to square one. However, good news, there are ways to dig yourself out of it!
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Take care of yourself before, during, and after finals! It may not sound important, but if you need a night off from trying to remember 7 different chemical reactions and 3 different book plots, take the night off. Remember to actually relax yourself after finals instead of just diving into something else.
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Reach out to family and friends! It’s okay to lean on someone for support if you need it. Talking about holiday plans can surprisingly be grounding and remind you that it’s okay to forget about school for a bit.
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Make a plan! Unfortunately, all breaks end somewhere. I find myself feeling unprepared because I wait until the last minute to figure out the logistics of the next semester. Planning this out would relieve an enormous amount of stress while I’m supposed to be de-stressing.
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Now that you’re *actually* done, you can finally relax! Do that holiday thing you’ve been waiting to do: maybe having a movie marathon (The Grinch? Hello!), baking some yummy treats, or making a merry playlist.
Don’t let the post-finals stress ordeal keep you from enjoying break! You’ve gotten through the toughest part of it, and it’s okay to take a breather now. Enjoy the time off, and do every fun thing you said you wanted to do over break! Most importantly, remember to finally take care of yourself after those late night cram sessions and bad eating habits.