It’s that time of the semester that always seems to come too quickly—midterms. Midterms week is tricky since school is still in full-swing, and there is no long break in the near future. I, like most college students, have fallen into the trap of not taking great care of myself during an exam week. It’s too common for college students to skip sleep, meals, and even basic hygiene rituals during exams and then crash at the end of the week. After getting sick after every exam week, I decided last semester that I needed to try something different.
Self-care is important no matter what, but it might require more attention during stressful situations. Even though it’s just a week, ignoring basic needs can cause physical, mental, and emotional harm. Last exam week, I made a plan of the bare minimum self-care habits I would stick to during exam weeks. Here they are:
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Sleep at least six hours each night. Usually I aim for seven to eight, but during exam week, that might not be possible. Sleep is absolutely essential to basic functioning, yet it seems like the first thing to go for most stressed students. Staying up all night to study for an exam might seem like a good idea, but the cons definitely outweigh the pros.
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Eat at least three meals a day. Skipping meals might happen unintentionally during a long study session, but it can only harm you in the long-run. I find planning meal times the day before helps make sure they happen.
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Brush your teeth and wash your face every morning and night. Basic hygiene practices can only make you feel better, and they don’t take a long time.
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Don’t overdo the caffeine. I love coffee, but an elevated heartrate and jitters won’t help you study.
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Have at least one hour during the day that is not filled with studying, exams, or class. Talk to a friend or parent, watch Netflix, listen to a podcast…I promise you will still have enough time to study, but giving your brain a break is essential.
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Lastly, and this might just be my personal preference, plan out your week beforehand. Exam week is stressful, which can make it more difficult to keep track of things. It doesn’t need to be down to the minute, but seeing when assignments are due relative to each other can avoid last-minute scrambling (or forgetting). And planning out your week will allow you to schedule study-time, meals, sleep, and breaks—to make sure self-care is already built in!
If you find yourself panicking, there are small, short self-care practices that you can utilize, like taking a warm shower, breathing exercises, guided meditation, and journaling.
Good luck with exams (or anything else you might have coming up), and take care of yourself!