Once again it is mid-term season, our (not-so) favourite time of the year! Those who know me well, know that I stress over school a lot of the time, especially when it’s time for mid-terms. Personally, I have a few ways that help me de-stress in preparation for my midterms, which may also be of help to you while you try to successfully put the midterm season behind you.
Check out the following 4 ways I used to relax during midterm season:
1. Take Long Showers with Music
I am the type of person who showers late at night. When I study for my mid-terms, I think of the long shower at the end of the day as a way to de-stress myself and calm down. I usually place my SQueo, which is a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, beside the shower and sing along with my favourite songs. The long shower accompanied by the music definitely puts me in a better mood, and gives me the type of energy I need to get back to studying at 3a.m. in the morning. No big deal.
2. Become a Healthy Stress Eater
When I study, I tend to get hungry super fast. In a way, you could say I am a stress-eater. When I can’t solve a question, I start craving Nutella on bread, or anything chocolate for that matter. Since I need to eat the stress away to help me stay focused while studying, I now try to satisfy my cravings with healthy foods. Usually, I chop up some pieces of fruits, such as: apples, oranges, tangerines, grapes, and cucumbers. I especially like McIntosh apple slices with some salt! If there is no fruit around the house, I might chop up some broccoli or baby carrots and eat them with salad dressing on the side. Either way, you can’t go wrong with fruits and vegetables. This way I eat the stress away while being healthy! Trust me, it’s not worth the A if you risk getting diabetes, so try to stay healthy at all times.
3. Reward Yourself
Keeping your head in the books 24/7 will definitely exhaust you both mentally and physically, which is why you should reward yourself with study breaks, like I do. Every time I can read through a chapter without any distractions or solve a series of tricky questions, I reward myself with different things. For instance, I might allow myself to check my phone for 10 minutes or, perhaps, take a walk for 15 minutes. Since this is Canada, it is pretty cold outside, so I usually just walk around my home, grab something to eat, and just talk with my parents, who barely see me anymore.
4. Take Deep Breaths
The couple minutes before the mid-term can be quite over-whelming. I see people around me panic and ask the most random questions, which make themselves and I panic even more. One way I use to deal with this is by taking deep breaths. Just breathe in and out and tell yourself, it is just a mid-term, your life is not all dependent on it, the world will not end, and no one will die. It is just a mid-term.
Overall, keep in mind that this only a mid-term, it counts as only a mark, a number. Do not let the post-exam stress harm you so much so that it gets to you both mentally and physically. Even if you fail, you will have more than one chance at making up for the bad mark. Just recite the following words and have yourself really believe in them: it is done, it is over, and now it is time to move on!
Image Sources
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