It’s the middle of the semester. You’ve made new friends, gone to a couple of parties, even gone to a few classes, but it’s getting to be one of the most stressful times that every college student hates… MIDTERMS! For the next week or two, your schedule will be filled with exams, papers, projects, and a lack of sleep. Midterms are unavoidable and account for a huge part of your grade. That means a huge amount of stress is coming, but you can cope with midterms. Here are 4 ways to ease your stress and make midterms a little easier:
1. Get Organized
Organization is key. It might seem like common sense, but midterms are stressful and chaotic. Don’t complicate your life further with a messy room, notes, and schedule. GET ORGANIZED! Organization helps to clear your mind and ease stress. By taking a few minutes out of your day to clean your room, sort through notes and plan out tasks, you can ease a lot of stress. The less worry you have, the better.
Also, having a planner is crucial. Your planner will become your best friend during midterms. It allows you to have a physical copy of your week, and will become your guide through midterms.
2. Study, Study, Study!
You can’t pass midterms without studying. Avoid procrastinating and cramming by reviewing your notes a little bit each day. You can also create a study schedule in order to stay on top of your studying. Look over notes, book summaries, and any additional material your professor has provided you. Try the 25-5 trick! Read over material for 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break. You can eat, walk around, or even take notes during your break in order to effectively retain information. You can even get tutoring or create a study group if you’re struggling to understand the information. Remember, good study habits equal good grades!
3. Stay Healthy and Active
Being organized and studying are good for midterms, but so is staying healthy. Stress will come no matter what. Staying healthy and active can help ease stress. Try working out for at least 30 minutes a day. You can dance, go running, go to the gym, walk, even meditate. Exercise helps to release the stress and bring peace of mind. Eating healthy helps as well. Avoid the quick and easy junk food and switch to healthy foods like whole grains, vegetable, fruits, and proteins. Substitute coffee and sodas for water and green tea. Green tea is a lifesaver! It keeps your relaxed and healthy, and it tastes AMAZING! Sleep is needed too. Try to get at least 6-8 hours a sleep a night. A lack of sleep is no good for you during midterms.
4. Relax
It might seem impossible, but the best way to cope with midterm stress is to relax and breathe. Midterms are overwhelming, but stressing out will only make it worse. Take a few minutes out of your day for you and simply BREATHE. Try going outside, listening to music or watching a little television when you feel too overwhelmed. When you’re relaxed, you are able to better retain information and will perform better on tests.
Go into midterms knowing that everything will be okay. You will get through it. If you follow these four tips, you will make it through midterm week with ease. Good Luck!