Finals week is a very stressful time for everyone, regardless of how many you have, how hard they are, etc. As a soon-to-be graduating senior, I have had 7 rounds of finals that left me absolutely drained and beaten down. I want to help you avoid this feeling!
The first thing you should focus on is how to budget your time effectively. I previously wrote an article about this that can help you plan! However, while timing is important, you also need to feel ready for your finals. If you don’t feel ready for your final when the day of the test arrives, you are going to feel immensely bad about yourself. It’s important to remember that your grade doesn’t reflect your self-worth, even if it is hard to keep this fact in mind in the moment.
It’s also important that you recognize the irrelevance of your friends’ grades. You should not ask your friends what they got on their exams. I know it’s tempting, but in the end, someone is going to feel like sh*t. If you did better than them, they feel bad; if they did better than you, you feel bad. It is important for both of your mental states that you do not share grades.
As for self-care, you should be putting yourself first during finals week. Don’t let your friends make you feel poorly for not wanting to go out to get food or party. Don’t feel bad for not going home for your dad’s birthday the weekend before when you need to study. Yes, it sucks, but it’s imperative that you feel prepared and ready to tackle your finals in your own way and on your own time. People who love you want to see you succeed, and they won’t make you feel bad for putting yourself and your education first!
Make ample time to study, but also to breathe and relax. Overworking yourself is not good for your brain and can increase the probability of burnout, which is sure to make the entire situation worse. At the end of the day, a grade is just a grade, and it’s not going to impact your entire future career. Remember, C’s get degrees!