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Google calendar is my best friend, and she should be yours too. This computer and phone app has many features that come in handy when you have five group projects to finish, three papers to start, and two exams to study for within a single week. To add something to the calendar, just click on the desired date. You can add a title or time which is great, but the good stuff happens when you click ‘more options.’ You can invite guests to a meeting like a group project meet up at the library. It also gives users the ability to change the color of the item being made which works wonders when trying to organize different types of exams or assignments. There is also a notes section where users are able to add any further reminders to the created item. Bulky planners are a thing of the past, save a tree and use the app.
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Tea is key. Not the kind of tea that you spill to your friends in the group chat, but the kind that heats up in an electric kettle and wakes you up or puts you to sleep. With finals, many students are pounding down 100s of grams of sugar to try to make deadlines. This is not the way to go. Sugar found in Gatorade, energy drinks, soda, and your favorite Starbucks drinks taste great but inevitably will lead you to your downfall. Buy black tea for the morning to wake you up which pairs great with honey and milk. Drink green tea in the afternoon to cleanse out your system and to keep a subtle caffeine high in your system. Finish off your day with a cool mint decaffeinated tea to help you sleep like the angel you are. Plus, a box of tea from Kings Soopers is much less expensive than the Venti Iced Chai Tea Latte you were about to order.
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Try to fit exercise into your day even if for only 15 minutes. Exercise helps your body release endorphins which not only makes you feel better, but also helps you feel less stressed, remember things more, sleep better, and study longer. Pinterest is my go-to where it is full of short-term duration HIIT workouts you can do at home. There is also a multitude of scenic trails all around Fort Collins that are great to walk, run or rollerblade with a friend. If anything, lay out your yoga mat in your bedroom and just stretch out. No matter how you get your blood pumping, just try to do it. Your body and mind will thank you tomorrow.
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Eat your protein, girl! A lot of times when our bodies feel tired, besides the fact that being a college student is exhausting, it is because we are lacking protein in our daily diets. Protein does amazing things for our brain, curves cravings, and helps us stay fuller longer. It is tempting to eat vending machine food when you are on campus studying for hours at a time, but try bringing food from home. Beans, rice, oatmeal, leafy greens, and lean meats are all great foods to throw into your lunchbox before you head to class in the morning. My go-to is rice, beans, spinach, and sriracha in a tuber ware container. It’s like chipotle only cheaper.
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Schedule your study breaks! Put your phone on Do Not Disturb at set a timer for every 45 minutes to allocate break times. This way, you are restricting yourself, but not completely eliminating yourself from the outside world. It is hard for our brains to be focused on one thing for a long amount of time, especially if that one thing is scribbly notes you took in class a month before. By spacing your time out, you are still letting yourself have a break, but are disciplining yourself to put in some work first.
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Study with classmates or friends, hopefully ones that will not distract you. Being around people is a motivator for a lot of people. Being by yourself is fine for a while, but by being around people who are in the same spot you are, this can help you to keep pushing until it’s time for a study break. Then on your study break, you have someone to actually talk to besides checking Instagram for the 27th time today. If all of your friends are extroverted and you find it difficult to study around them, head to a quiet coffee shop in a nearby town where you’re still around people in a peaceful area, but may be exposed to fewer distractions
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Don’t be so hard on yourself. Recognizing that everyone around you is going through what you are going through can help put into perspective that we are all in this together, High School Musical style. After the struggle is summer, where the sun is bright and exams are out of sight. You’re almost there, you got this! Be there for each other in this dark time and keep pushing.