Finals can be the most stressful time of the year for college students. Professors stack assignments, projects, and exams all in the course of one week. It starts to feel overwhelming and like I’m trapped in an endless sea of anxiety, waiting for grades to be finalized. I’ve had dreams where I’ve forgotten to submit an assignment and failed the class. Immediately when I woke up, I checked Canvas to make sure it was nothing but a dream.
These are things I’ve implemented for myself on how I managed to survive finals week.
- Clean your space
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I am someone who absolutely cannot work if my room is messy. I find my mind becomes overwhelmed and unfocused while I’m surrounded by an unmade bed and laundry that has been neglected for days. A couple of days before I know I’ll be locked onto my computer and working on finals, I will get everything straightened up so it’s one less thing to do after finals week is over.
Cleaning helps me feel more motivated and in a better headspace to be able to sit down and focus. If you have an apartment, clean everything. Go through the fridge and throw away all those take-out containers you said you would eat. I am completely guilty of this — sorry to my forgotten Chipotle bowl and Chick-fil-A wrap.
- Break up high-maintenance finals
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These are projects or finals that will take up a significant amount of your time. Instead of a ten-question final from one of your professors, these are the finals that require days to collect data, quotes, sources, etc.
I like to use my planner to plan out when finals are due and mark which days I’m able to work on them. I’ve had a couple of papers before from a class that required 1,000 — 1,200 words of my own writing. After gulping anxiously and reading the requirements, I decided to take three days to break up all the work. Thankfully, I was given all the sources I needed to use and pull quotes, which saved me some extra time. Over three days, I wrote about 350 words a day to meet the word count. It also allowed me to step away and come back with fresh eyes to re-read and make any adjustments.
- Take breaks
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I’m not talking about procrastinating — this doesn’t mean pull out your Disney pins and show them all to your sister to avoid that six-page research essay, because who would ever do that? (The answer is me.)
I’m referring to taking a short break from studying. Go on a walk, sit outside, or get in 15 minutes of TikTok before locking back into your finals. Taking breaks allows me not to lose my sanity. I even took a break from my paper to write this article as a change of scenery.
- Make plans
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Between school, work, and extracurricular activities, I’ve found it hard to make plans during the semester. I feel like an executive scheduling appointments to hang out with my friends days or weeks in advance. Although I’m taking summer classes, I still have that small gap where I’m free from the shackles of my computer.
If you’re also taking summer classes or taking a break for the summer, making plans after finals are over creates something to look forward to as motivation. I personally cannot wait to see Revenge of the Sith in theaters.
- Incorporate Self-Care
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Self-care during finals is so important. In the evenings, I like to unwind and shut my brain off after having a long and stressful day.
Stretching after holding a posture for a couple of hours helps with tension, as does a nice hot shower to help my mind wind down. Reading before bed instead of going on my phone allows me to get to my reading list that I have been neglecting. But sometimes, after looking at words on a screen all day, the last thing I want to do is read more. That’s when it’s time for a good comfort show or movie. If I have my TV on, there’s a 90% chance it’s either Gilmore Girls or Pride and Prejudice. The other 10% is reserved for the Star Wars prequels.
While finals week is brutal, it’s important to remember to be kind to yourself. Breaking down bigger projects can make them less daunting and help improve your sanity and the quality of your work by taking breaks. Give yourself some time to step away and let your mind reset, so it can do its best in guiding you through finals.