Written by Carey Linkous
Finals week: the infamous seven days when everyone is stressed, and coffee is the beverage of choice. In truth, there’s no secret key to surviving finals week. As students, we are all different and we each have different methods for coping with the stress of exams. That being said, there are some simple things we can each do to increase our chances of success.
Below are a few tips to succeeding next week:
Drink water!!!!!
Yeah, coffee is great and all, but have you ever heard of water? Coffee can be a good source of energy for late night studying, but an overload of caffeine is extremely unhealthy. Coffee helps to stay up all night to study for finals, trust me, I know. I’ve spent too many nights up trying to study and finish assignments. But water hydrates and ensures that our brain stays working.
Try to stick to your routine
Changing your routine the week of finals can actually be EXTREMELY stressful on your brain. As humans, we are creatures of habit, and changing our already established routine in order to finish projects and to study can actually hurt us more than it could ever help. This week try to stick as close to your normal routine as possible.
Eat food!!!!!
Meals are crucial to good performance on a final exam. Skipping a meal in order to study or finish an assignment creates failure, not success. Try to eat regularly at your routine mealtimes. Don’t forget to include healthy food into your diet too to keep your brain and body ready to withstand the week. I’m sorry to tell you, but mac-n-cheese and chips aren’t going to cut it for finals week.
Make time to relax!!!!!
Don’t let finals drive you crazy. Make time for yourself, it’s a hard week, but that means that you may need down time more than ever. When you feel yourself getting stressed, make an intentional effort to take a break from your studies. Allow your brain to rest. You deserve it.
SLEEP!!!!!
Staying up all night isn’t hard to do when you are working. I’ve started assignments at 11:30pm and I didn’t realize that I worked till 4:00am. By that time, it’s too late. I’ve already wasted the time I needed to sleep. This week be intentional in watching the clock. Make sure you get sleep. Losing sleep to study will not gain you anything. Cramming for a test is a lost cause. Review your notes and then get the sleep that you need. It will be worth it.
No matter how stressful or tough this next week gets, just know that you’ve got this! You will get through it. One day, we will all get a full night of sleep again, I promise.
