During the winter semesters, many students, including myself, spend large portions of time thinking “I just need to make it through exams and then I can relax.” We plough through the seemingly endless piles of assignments and exams, only to emerge on the other side feeling completely lost and unsure of how to spend our time. Post-exam season for me is always a tricky one, especially if I haven’t planned anything to keep me busy. While each person has different needs, these are the things I would recommend doing as soon as your school year has finished.
1. SLEEP!
I cannot stress how important this is. During the school year, especially during exam season, you likely pulled more all-nighters than you should have, and if your year was anything like mine, you wound up getting only a few hours of sleep each night. Trust me, your body needs the rest. Give yourself the time to nap during the afternoons or sleep in in the mornings.
2. Go outside for sunlight and fresh air
You’ve probably also spent more time than was healthy inside, hidden away from natural lighting. Now that things are (sort of) beginning to warm up, take the opportunity to go outside on sunny days for a bit of exercising like walking, and for some sunlight. Get those vitamins!
3. Do something that genuinely makes you happy
You made it! You survived school! Now you can finally give your own needs and desires some more attention. You like reading? Read all the books you had to put on hold because of school; I know I will! You’re passionate about volunteering in the community? Go forth and serve! The point is to do something that makes you feel good and refreshed after all the stress you’ve been through these past few months.
4. Take a long bath or shower
Do it. I took a shower shortly after coming home from my last exam and it felt even better than being done school until September. There’s something calming about washing or soaking away all your cares and thoughts about school in hot water. Allow your muscles to relax, and your thoughts to slow. At my house, we spent the week of my last exam repainting and reorganizing a lot of bedrooms, so I went into my exam already tense and stiff. Taking a shower after helped alleviate the stress of everything that had happened this year,
5. Plan, plan, plan
This tip may seem contrary to the previous ones, but I promise it is important. Enrollment dates are coming up, with mine and most of my friends’ dates in June. So after you’ve had some time to rest and not think about school, remember to at least throw together a hypothetical schedule or list of all the courses you need and want for the fall so that when enrollment dates come around, you aren’t caught off guard.
My key point throughout this article is to relax! You deserve some downtime at the very least. Congratulations, you made it through the winter semester, something that is no easy task. Rest and get ready to enjoy your summer!