It’s that time of the year again.

The weight of finals and the stress that comes along is tremendous for students, especially for the fall semester. You JUST got back from Thanksgiving Break, Christmas and holiday season is in full swing, and now all these exams? Honestly, the break is just a sugar coat for what the professors throw at us. We can all relate for the major FOMO when everyone is out having fun and you’re stuck inside studying for that final that could pull your grade either way.

Of course there’s no magic cure to just get rid of ALL the stress, but there are ways to minimize it…

1. Don’t let the junk food take over.

It’s natural to let yourself take the easy route during finals week and just grab the quick and simple snacks. While snacking is good while studying, replace the chips, cookies, and candy for healthier options. Great study snacks include cut up fruit, cheese and nut snack packs, cheese and crackers, humus and carrots, and granola bars. Most of these are super simple and easy to make or buy. Eating healthier foods will benefit you more since your energy wont crash and you’ll have lots more of it. But don’t forget to eat actual meals and food and not just snack the whole day. Skipping out on meals will reduce your energy and will to study.

2. Schedule relaxation time.

This helps me the most as I get very antsy during finals time. Schedule breaks in between your studying to take a break. Think of it as a reward. For example, when having to reread textbook or do chapter problems, I tell myself after each chapter I can take a little break to do something relaxing. Whether that be taking 15 minutes to lay down and do a face mask, taking a 20-30 minute bath, or just laying down and listening to vinyls for 10 minutes, you’ll feel less crammed with information and you’ll have little breaks to relax and decrease your stress levels. Make sure to keep this timed and scheduled so you don’t fall off track.

3. Study with others or in group settings.

Some people like studying in groups, some don’t. I’ve learned that with different classes and subjects, it changes. Some classes you just have to self-study, but try to study in a group for a bit and see if you can teach information to others and vice versa. One of the best ways to study is to explain what you understand to others. Once you can explain it clearly, your brain remembers and understands that concept more and more. This helped me a lot in my math and accounting classes when explaining formulas or concepts to others. Find a good group though, people who want to study and want to achieve a good outcome.

4. Exercise

Everyone is tired about hearing this, but it’s so crucial and so so helpful. The last thing anyone wants to do when studying for finals is get up and go to the gym. But exercise is just proven to help stress and once you’re done, you’ll be so happy you did. You don’t have to go to the gym, you can always opt out and do an at home workout, ride a bike, or go for a run. If you don’t wanna fully workout and break a sweat, taking a long walk at a brisk pace helps as well.

5. Schedule it all out.

The best way to keep track of all the things you have to juggle and cram in a short period of time is to plan it all out. Even if it’s a tentative simple schedule, anything will help organize it. Prioritize your finals by what grade you need for you goal end grade, the more difficult exams, and of course, which one is coming up the fastest. I like to keep this schedule on an Excel sheet (I love Excel) and color coordinate it too update what I have finished and what I haven’t. If not, a great way is to write each task on a sticky note and move them around into your perfect schedule. Visually seeing what you have to do and in what order will calm you down more than juggling all the different tasks in just you mind.

6. Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep

I know, I know. This is one of the most important things that is so often ignored. We feel that we have no time, and if we pull an all nighter, hey, more study time right? No. The more you deprive your body of sleep, the less information you’re gonna retain. You’ll be rereading the same page 8 times because your brain has hit its capacity for the few hours you slept. And if this is a every night thing, the effects are greater. We take sleep for granted, but taking that extra hour or two of sleep and getting your closest to your 7-8 hours will benefit so greatly. Understanding that studying with a rested and refreshed mind for 3-4 hours rather than a tired and exhausted brain for 6-8, is better in the end.

7. Cut out the energy fads.

This goes along with Number 6 as well. If you are pulling those all nighters, try to cut out the energy drinks and caffeine. I have personally seen so many people’s health during finals week deteriorate because they’re so strung up on caffeine and no sleep. If you’re forcing you body to be awake for a few more hours, your brain probably isn’t following suit. Not to mention, if you’re doing this right before your test, the crash could hit you at the worst time. There’s no point of studying for alllll those hours if you crash right when you get to your exam. So from personal experience, try to reduce all that caffeine.

8. Keep a positive perspective

This is the easiest thing to do to reduce that stress. The most simple for sure, but sometimes the hardest. If you don’t believe you can do it, why should anyone else? If you have the attitude and mind frame that you’re not gonna do well, your brain is gonna follow that thought. Your drive to learn the material goes down, your will to keep going and practicing will diminish. Keep some positive quotes and thoughts on sticky notes, paste them around your workplace, remind yourself that yes, you CAN do it. When you take breaks and breathers, think about how much you HAVE accomplished, instead of thinking about how much you have left and stressing yourself out. A positive mind will produce a positive outcome.

9. Ask for help

This is something people don’t really realize often. We get so caught up in trying to figure everything out ourselves, we don’t realize we have people supporting us all the time. Ask a friend from class, ask a tutor, even ask the teacher. I get most stressed if I’m stuck on a problem for hours and don’t realize something really small that makes a huge difference. Having another person pointing that out really helps nail it in. Later when that comes up on the test, you’ll remember ‘Hey, I asked ___ for help on this and they pointed out that____.’ Most of my tests go that way. Even if you don’t wanna ask help to someone around you, ask the Internet. So many subjects have tutors and teachers with videos on YouTube. If I don’t understand a concept in any class, I go to YouTube and type it in and most of the time, there’s a recorded lecture online with someone breaking it down. Having another person re explain a concept to you can help dramatically. But know, instead of wasting 2 hours on something, it’s ok to ask for help after half an hour and nail that concept and then moving on the something else.

10. Minimize time wasted

My last and final tip. The most important for sure. There is no point of doing any of the steps above if you’re not gonna study. You’re doing well and you’re on track, then you get a notification and think ‘Hey I’ll check that’, and then you’re scrolling through Instagram and Twitter for 45 minutes. Now, I’m the first one to be guilty of this. But the only way to reduce that is to admit you do it, and take the next step. Turn your phone off, literally put it in your backpack. If you’re like me and you don’t like doing that just in case of emergency, there are other ways to reduce the temptation to pick up your phone. Text the people you talk to everyday, any group chats, etc, and let them know ‘Hey, I’m in study mode so if you ABSOLUTELY need something and its an emergency, call me.’ You can then mute the notifications. That includes Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever takes your interest and mind away from the books. Allow yourself a little social treat every now and then. Every hour you study, scroll through Instagram for 10 minutes. But make sure you keep this in moderation and don’t spend most of your time sending memes back and forth with your friends.

 

Those are my main tips and of course there’s so many other study tactics and methods, but it all depends on the person. Someone else could think all of this above is too much. For me, it’s what works and has proven to work. Some just say cramming is what works for them, but just remember, your health and well-being is always first. Education and school is so so so important, but watching out for yourself is what really is the main focus. Now, get off this post, and go study!