So, finals time has come upon us again. It’s the time to stress over all the assignments you’ve known were coming for literally months and have simply been ignoring until now. It’s the time to put off papers until the night of and then pull your hair out in frustration and panic. Ah…good times.
But, in all honesty, no matter how well you plan and how steadily you work, there will likely come a time during finals season in which you are panicked, stressed, and overwhelmed by all the work ahead of you. And that is fine. You have a lot of work to do and a lot of effort to put into doing that work well, and no one should blame you for being daunted by all of that. But if planning and all that won’t stop the panic, what can you do to stay at least a little sane?
Well, here’s a little secret on how to make it through finals: Take a break.
I know, I know, that’s a dumb answer. We all know that when everything seems overwhelming, we want a break from all the papers and tests. Therefore, since we all know how and when to take a break, they must really help, right? Wrong. Sometimes our breaks make us more stressed than we were before, so here’s a few tips on how to make breaks actually help.
Give Your Brain a Break
It’s not much of a break if you’re still thinking about everything you’ll need to do as soon as your break is over. So don’t just minimize your Word doc and anxiously scroll through Tumblr. Your brain is likely still ruminating on your work. So exit out the document altogether. Get up and make some tea or hot chocolate. Talk to a friend (about something other than finals) or watch your favorite YouTube videos that makes you laugh every time. Put on your favorite songs, the ones that can make you dance even on you worst day, and dance around your room. Or even just wiggle in your chair if you’re not the dancing type. Getting some exercise is also a good way to boost your mood and calm your emotions, so maybe take a walk and admire the changing season or even hit the gym to burn off all those chips and cookies you’ve been stress-eating.
Speaking of Stress-Eating, Don’t.
Stress-eating is a super common response to pressure, and we have pretty much all done it at some point or other. But please don’t. The last thing you need during finals is to feel icky from eating too much junk food. On top of stress, no one wants the aggravated acne, bloating, and just general self-disgust that can come from over-indulging in crappy foods that your body may not even be used to. So pick up some fruit, yogurt, and water or Gatorade before you hit the books so you don’t wake up from your stress nap to find yourself surrounded by Oreo boxes and covered in over-processed cheese dust.
Try Some Coping Skills/Stress Exercises
Even if you’re generally not an anxious person, finals can bring it out in even the calmest of us. So, try looking into some coping skills and stress exercises. These are literally there to help you calm down and cope with the pressures of life, so they’re perfect for finals time. Try free drawing or breathing exercises when you get really stressed. You can even journal or write poetry in order to express your anxiety in a healthy way.
Make the Time
Finally, when doing all of these, make sure you’re still on schedule. Allot yourself a half hour or hour to rest and relax. Set yourself a timer if you have to. There are few worse feelings than taking a break that ends up lasting the whole day, and then feeling like you’ve wasted a precious day. So make a plan for what time is for work and what time is down time and stick to it. Maybe ask a friend to help keep you accountable on that and do the same for them.
PS. Whatever you do, don’t wait till 11:58 pm to turn in you work. If the system decides to glitch for a quick second, you don’t want it to be the second that stands between on time and a day late.
That said, I wish you all the best this finals season!