With finals on the horizon, everybody is trying to survive and failing to thrive. Because of the stress of finals season, students often don’t have the time or can’t devote as much attention to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Even though it’s hard to take care of yourself as well as you might under normal circumstances, there are still a few easy ways to stay healthy and keep your energy up during finals.
Sleep
During finals, long days of studying turn into even longer nights of hitting the books and as a result, your newest accessories to showcase during finals szn becomes the bags under your eyes. Although it can be hard to find the time to sleep, it is absolutely essential that you do. Eventually in your time working you will hit a point, probably around the 2 am mark, where delirium will ensue and staying up trying to get things done becomes less productive than you think it is. A well rested brain is a well focused brain. I’m not saying you need to get your full 8 hours, you just need to get more than 2 or 3. Try to wind down and get to bed at a reasonable hour so that you can be ready to get up and begin working all over again tomorrow.
Plan ahead
One thing that can help regulate your sleep during finals is planning ahead. Choose a time that you want to be in bed by or be relaxing by and then work back from there, scheduling your time accordingly. If you abide by your plan and get most of if not all of your work done, then you’ll be able to stop and relax by the time you aimed for.
Eat and Eat Well
Sometimes in the throes of finals when you’re deep in work, the fact that you need to eat can slip your mind until an overwhelming wave of hunger hits you and then you’re downing literally anything that’s edible. Even though I am guilty of doing this, I would not recommend this method to a friend. In order to work on projects all day and cram for Civ all night you have to have the energy to do so. Even though Big Tony’s may seem like the most convenient and most appealing option, try not to give into the temptation. Instead make a little bit of time throughout the day to take breaks to eat actual food. While some junk food will be necessary for you to keep your sanity, try also to eat substantial and healthy meals/snacks. Some good suggestions are yogurt, fruit, nuts, dark chocolate (this will give you a nice energy boost), and lots of water.
Treat Yoself
While your body does need healthy foods to stay well and keep its energy up, you should also treat yourself once in awhile. Studied all day? Treat yoself. Finally finished that paper? Treat yoself. You and your group killed that presentation? Treat. Yo. Self. Grab some chocolate, turn on the Kardashians, and chill out for a while. Rewarding yourself after a lot of hard work and a job well done will keep your motivation up and keep you in a positive mood throughout finals.
Call A Friend
We’ve all been there- you’re staring at all the work in front of you and you feel so helpless. You’ve been studying forever or typing your life away on a paper that you just can’t seem to finish and you are so overwhelmed with stress. At this point, take a breath and call your friend. She knows you better than anyone and chances are she can talk you off any ledge because she’s done it more than once before. Hearing a familiar and positive voice can help you escape all the stress for a minute and put things in perspective, giving you a more positive outlook and a healthier mindset. Have a laugh with your bestie, reminisce on some good times, and realize that you will be ok.