Anxiety is almost inevitable when the topic of finals arises. The pressure of needing doing well on exams, the stress of not knowing what your final grade is going to be, the dread of having to spend all day everyday studying; hell week is called hell week for a reason.
It’s so incredibly important to prioritize your mental health during finals week. While it’s definitely crucial to study and focus on exams, prioritizing your exams too much can honestly destroy your mental health, and I learned this the hard way. Last semester, I spent all day studying the week of exams. I studied all day and all night, going to sleep at 3am and waking up at 6am to continue studying. I was so drained and mentally exhausted and looking back at pictures and videos of myself during that time, I don’t even recognize myself. The sunken eye bags, my skin that had been breaking out due to stress, my greasy and knotted hair because I didn’t even give myself time to shower. While I got good grades on my exams, was it really worth it? (NO!)
There are an infinite number of ways to reduce anxiety and stress during finals week, so here are a few ways that you can manage to fit studying into your schedule, without having it completely take over your life.
- Plan out a schedule for finals week. Whether it’s waking up in the morning and eating a yummy breakfast, then studying for a few hours (with occasional breaks!) then taking an exam before grabbing lunch with friends, it’s important to plan out your day and give yourself rewarding breaks as well. Planning out your schedule ahead of time will reduce anxiety, stress and make it easier to get all of your studying done. Make sure your entire schedule doesn’t revolve around studying, and that you’re giving time for yourself during the day as well. This reduces burnout, so you can actually focus and study without having your brain be completely fried.
- Don’t force too much stress on yourself over finals. At the end of the day, these exams aren’t the end of the world. It might seem like the most important thing on your mind now, but in 20 years, the score you got on your final exams isn’t going to matter. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
- Practice self-care. Finals week is incredibly stressful and prioritizing mental health is crucial. Whether it’s journaling, doing face masks, taking bubble baths, coloring (fun fact; coloring books are scientifically proven to reduce stress!), meditating or going on a walk, make sure to practice self-care on a day-to-day basis during finals week. While it may seem pointless, it really will reduce your stress levels and make it easier to get through your exams.
- Make sure you’re getting enough sleep! While it’s definitely tempting to stay up all night studying, this hurts your mental health and being sleep-deprived makes it nearly impossible to retain information and focus. It’s important to spend time studying during the day so you’re able to get a sufficient amount of sleep. I’d definitely recommend getting a solid 8 hours of sleep before your exams; it really will make a difference!
- Remember that you are not alone. There are thousands upon thousands of other people going through the same thing as you. The stress of finals week is getting to everyone, so it’s important to remember that you aren’t alone in this.
Regardless of how you choose to go upon hell week, remember that you got this! Prioritize your mental health this week and don’t stress too much, because you’re going to slay your exams <3.