Finals season has arrived, and you know what that means: tons of all-nighters and library stakeouts. But don’t let finals week stress you out too much and take the best care of yourself. Here are 5 tips to follow so you can manage your stress levels and endure those final few days of school.
1. Manage your time
Knowing how to manage your time is very important during finals week, especially when you have more than one exam in a week or even three on the same day like me (R.I.P). The best way to prevent procrastinating is by making a to-do list. Setting a certain amount of time for every activity is also very helpful and will make you feel productive. When studying for multiple different subjects, try to rotate between them every 2 hours. This will stop you from getting bored or overwhelmed with the material.
2. Exercise
One of the best ways to relieve stress and anxiety is through exercising. Hit up the gym or take a class at Student Rec or Southwest Rec and sweat your stress away. Simple things like just taking a walk outside will also reenergize and get you ready for the finals week marathon.
3. Healthy eating
It can be really easy to forget to eat or to just rely on junk food to get through stressful days. But it’s also really easy to prevent that by just meal prepping. There are so many simple and college-friendly recipes out there that you can prepare with little time. This is the perfect way to get your daily nutritional requirements and to not have to worry about cooking everyday.
4. Take breaks
Sometimes all we need to do to relieve some of our stress is to step away from the books. I like to take 10-15 minute breaks for every 2-3 hours of studying. You can use this time to listen to music, eat a snack or relax on your phone. Not only will this help to decrease your stress levels, but it will also motivate you to continue working hard so you can take those breaks.
5. Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC)
Most of the time, the stress of exams can be a bit too much and we need someone to simply just talk to. Fortunately, the UF Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) is accessible for all students and has amazing staff that will listen to you and provide you with advice. Don’t be afraid about scheduling an appointment, attending a stress management workshop or just picking up the phone to talk your worries away. All these services are available to UF students as part of their tuition so don’t worry about the costs and take advantage of this resource.
With all the chaos in the final days of the semester, don’t forget to put your wellbeing and health first. Most importantly, don’t let the stress consume you and let the reminder that you won’t have to take these classes again be your motivator for enduring finals week. Good luck!