Coping With the Stress of Finals

For high school and college students, the time they are dreading the most is nearing. Finals. Papers to write, projects to work on, deadlines to meet, whatever it is, it is probably going to be stressful. Especially during this time, where students are expected to teach themselves a lot of the material. Some stress is unavoidable during finals week, but there are many ways to help make the weeks coming more manageable and less difficult. Here are a few tips to help you get through finals week:

1. Planning a Schedule.

Planning out your week ahead of time leaves no room for surprises and helps you stay on track. By determining when you will be doing certain tasks, you are able to work more efficiently, be more productive, and avoid last minute cramming.

2. Catching Up on Your Sleep.

Usually, most people pull all-nighters studying and completing assignments because they don’t think they are well-prepared or have enough time. However, during such a stressful and anxious time, sleep is needed more than ever. By being tired and sleepy during your exams the next day, you won’t be able to do your best, so spending the night before cramming information won’t do anything good for you.

3. Rewarding Yourself.

After spending all of your energy completing an assignment, you probably want to jump right into the next assignment, and get them over with. Still, it is best to treat yourself. Whether it’s allowing yourself to watch an episode of your favorite show, or simply scrolling through social media, you should give yourself a break and some time to recharge. Yet, you should keep in mind to keep the break somewhat short.

Just because stress is bound to happen during finals weeks, it doesn’t actually mean that you can’t avoid some unnecessary stress, and get through it. Another thing to keep in mind going into finals week is that this is all temporary. Whatever happens, whatever your grades are, doesn’t determine your self-worth.