Well fellow Bruins, it’s that time of year again. You’ve spent the past month making new friendships, exploring this beautiful city and navigating your way around UCLA’s amazing campus. But while you were enjoying life and living carefree, week 3 has been slowly creeping up on you with midterms in its clutches. For those of you who still haven’t figured out how to stay sane during exam weeks, here’s a guide that’ll make sure you’re mentally and physically healthy as you ride out the midterm wave.
1. Mind Before Matter
Before you let internal stress consume you, remember that your mental health needs to come first. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, please remember that you have CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) on your side. CAPS is there for you when you need support. Venting or “talking things out” with a licensed professional can make a huge difference in alleviating your stress. If you ever feel that you need more than one session with a therapist, CAPS professionals can guide you through the process of making regular appointments. Remember, your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you need to talk with your professor about stress-related concerns, don’t be afraid to email them and see if they can work out a plan with you. They’re here to make sure you succeed with your sanity intact! That beautiful, strong mind is what got you this far, so take care of it.
2. Quick Service Is Not Always Your Friend
During midterms, you want to make sure that you’re taking care of your body. Your physical state really affects your mental state! Now at some point in our busy lives we’ve all succumb to a full day of Rendevouz or Cafe 1919. But as you start feeling sluggish from all the heavy food, you could be too slow for your study sessions. Instead of trying to save time with quick service, replace at least one of your daily meals with food from a dining hall. Sitting down to eat can take as little time as 15 minutes. You can even bring your laptop and work at the same time!
3. What’s Most Important?
Whether you’re a first year or a graduating senior, it seems like everyone has a full plate to deal with. During midterms and finals week, it’s important to prioritize all of your responsibilities. That way, small tasks don’t snowball together and large tasks are not left forgotten until the last minute. Create a concise list of all your priorities up to the exam. Then, rate each task on some scale of importance. If you see anything that can be taken care of after your exam, rate that as a low priority so your life isn’t cluttered with unnecessary tasks. Now that you have your highest priorities left, try to devote your energy towards the most pressing matters, like studying for the class that you have the most trouble in. Having a prioritized list will allow you to focus on your weaker areas while also maximizing your strengths.
4. Self-Care Can Be Free
When I hear the words “self-care”, the first images that pop up in my mind are collage posts filled with face masks, massages, and spa-days. Obviously, most college students can’t really afford to splurge on those luxuries all the time. Thankfully, there’s no need to worry because self-care can easily be F-R-E-E! After hours of studying in your dorm, you may be feeling overwhelmed and claustrophobic. Go take a break and walk around UCLA’s beautiful campus, try even a nice nighttime stroll by Royce Hall or the Botanical Garden. If you need a change of study venue, bring your books to one of the many benches at Sunset Recreation. Or if you prefer a quieter space, try the private study room at The Study at Hedrick. If you still want to have that mini-spa day but don’t want to break the bank, try investing in cheap sheet masks sold at Target or CVS for as little as $1.99! Overall it’s important to take some alone time to self-reflect and talk to yourself. Self-reflection allows you to pinpoint any areas of your life that you want to improve and that time alone is in itself a form of therapy.
5. Bears Hibernate So Why Don’t Bruins?
Bears can hibernate for up to 7 ½ months but we Bruins definitely do not have that kind of time. When you’re surrounded by so many opportunities to expand yourself academically and socially, you’ll find that the one aspect of your life that gets left behind is sleep. Sleep deprivation is an experience that’s universal to college students (just check out the UCLA meme page!). But at the end of the day, it’s no joke. In order to do our very best both academically and socially we need to get a sufficient amount of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, you generally need 7-9 hours of sleep to function at your best. Your body needs to recover from your busy daily life and cutting your sleep short can put yourself at a major disadvantage in your studies.
To all Bruins and non-Burins reading this article, please take care of yourselves this upcoming midterm season! Your mental health should always be of high value to you. Taking care of yourself physically and mentally should come before a grade so please try your best and don’t ask too much of yourselves.
Photos courtesy of Pexel and Victoria Li