Exam season is once again upon us, which means late nights, cramming and, of course, a bottomless void of panic and stress. However, it’s important to remember that, while studying is important, if you don’t take care of yourself you’re bound to get sick or burn out — and that will just make writing your exams even harder. If you’ve found yourself losing sleep or feeling anxious, I have some recommendations on little things that can help you relax.
- Go for a walk
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This is pretty simple and I’m definitely not the first person to suggest it, but it really does help. There is something about getting outside, even for five minutes to breathe in fresh air, that can give you an awesome boost in energy and positivity.
- Get together with friends
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I know it can get overwhelming when you look at your exam schedule and the amount of readings you haven’t gotten done yet, and it can feel like you have absolutely no time for anything other than studying. I promise you, that’s not the case. It’s important to take some time for yourself, and what better way than by getting together with friends for a night — or even an hour? Doing a movie night or going out for drinks can be the perfect way to destress and give yourself a chance to unwind and fortify you for the rest of your finals.
- Do something creative
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One of the best ways to unwind is to do something creative. Give yourself an hour and just turn your brain off and make something. Adult colouring books are all the rage right now (or they were a couple of years ago. Have we grown out of those yet?). You can buy them with fancy swear words on them, which is tons of fun. Watercolour painting is also really relaxing and actually looks good even when you have no idea what you’re doing. My current creative activity is knitting, but anything creative that allows you to turn your brain off is awesome after a long day of studying.
- Tidy up
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Cleaning your desk or your room can be an awesome way to procrastinate doing work. Once it’s done, you’ll be in a neat and tidy environment, which is just a little thing that can help keep you positive. Clean sheets or an organized room can help you feel like your whole life isn’t spiraling out of control, even though it sometimes feels that way during this time of year.
- Take a bubble bath
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This is so relaxing. If you have a bathtub in your apartment or residence or have access to one, fill that sucker with bubbles or a bath bomb and just soak for twenty minutes. It helps with headaches and stiffness, which are common when you’re spending 100 hours a day studying.
I know that exam time is stressful. I know it can be overwhelming and that sometimes it’s impossible to put everything into perspective. But know that, whatever happens, you’ll be okay. Feel free to try one or all of these techniques and see if they can help you. If you can’t, for one reason or another, the most important thing is to make sure that you eat, sleep and take care of yourself. Your health is more important than any grade.
If you are struggling during this exam season, please reach out to someone for support:
- Laurier Peer Connect: 1.866.281.7337
- ConnexOntario: 1.866.531.2600
- Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo: 1.844.264.2993
- Telehealth Ontario: 1.866.797.0000