How to Maintain Your Mental and Emotional Health During Midterms

As Halloween approaches, midterms season is back to haunt us and staying stress-free is more important than ever. Here are some tips to help maintain your mental and emotional health during these scary, stressful times!

1. Schedule breaks

Studying for hours on end can be exhausting. Research findings state that the average human brain can only focus on one thing for 20 minutes at a time! Continuing to stare at your work without processing any information isn’t helpful, so be sure to fit in some study breaks. Reward yourself with a snack, visiting a friend or an episode on Netflix!

2. Go to office hours

You may feel like your professors are scheming to assign papers and exams all at once; however, they want to see you succeed and are always willing to help. Utilize their office hours for help with any questions or for clarification on an assignment! If you’re struggling with a particular course, talking to your professor can also alleviate stress about your workload.

3. Eat healthy

Personally, I think this is the most difficult tip to follow. It’s easy to rely on Easy Mac and ramen noodles when it seems like you’re too busy to eat. As delicious as those things are, there are other quick (and much healthier) options on campus to fuel you through exams! Make a salad at the Snar or grab sushi and juice from the Underground, and be sure to alternate water and tea with all the coffee you’re consuming. The more nutrients that are in your body, the better your brain will function!

4. Get some sleep

Getting enough sleep is vital to enhancing your memory and retaining what you learn. If you have to stay up late writing a paper or reading on your computer, try apps like F.lux! F.lux adjusts the light of your computer screen depending on the time of day. This will reduce your exposure to blue light, and ultimately help you get a better night’s sleep. For college students like us, 7-9 hours every night is optimal.

5. Go to the Wellness Center

If you feel like you could benefit from additional support, don’t hesitate to visit the Wellness Center. There are open hours every weekday from 11 AM. to noon and from 2 PM. to 3 PM. Open hours provide an opportunity for you to speak with a counselor for 15-20 minutes about any immediate concerns and work out potential solutions.

For more study tips, check out our article on Lib Hacks tomorrow!

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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