This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Molloy chapter.

Now that Thanksgiving break is over we are one step closer to a time in the year every college student dreads….finals (cue the jaws theme song.)

First we had midterms and now this? When does it end? And you’re probably saying to yourself…

(I know deep down I am.)

Well have no fear HerCampus Molloy is here to help give you four tips and tricks to deal with finals week and the stress it can bring! Everyone copes with stress differently so feel free to pick and choose to see what works for you!

Take advantage of pet therapy on your campus!

Who doesn’t love a furry friend? (you would have to be crazy if you didn’t.) Whether it’s a puppy or a kitten maybe even a bunny, furry friends can alway put a smile on your face and be a huge stress reliever. It can be the perfect thing when you’re cramming for tests. Make sure to keep looking at your school event calendar to make sure you can make some time in your busy schedule to have a cuddle (and maybe a good cry) with an animal who won’t judge you and help ease your stress in 15 minutes or less.

2. Don’t be afraid to talk it out!

Stress can be extremely harmful to your mental health if you keep everything you’re feeling all bottled up. If you feel like you don’t want to bother someone with your feelings, ignore that feeling and find someone to talk to. Every campus has a counseling center readily available for student use at stressful times like finals. They are willing to listen and give you, even more, tips on how to stay calm and cope with everything in a healthy way. If you don’t have access to a counseling center or aren’t comfortable with talking to a professional talk to friends! They’re going through the same stresses you are and can relate to how you’re feeling. So, open up you’ll feel the weight of the world come off your shoulders as soon as you do.

3. Keep your study space clean and organized.

Keep this philosophy: messy desk = messy mind, clean desk = clear mind.

Having a cluttered study area can be distracting and cause more unwanted stress even just by looking at it. Coming home to a messy desk or even just a cluttered area where you want to study can make you anxious and more worked up. Not only can it cause stress but, it can also be super distracting. When you aren’t able to find something that you need to study you have to dig through the mess just to find it. Make sure to keep organized. Clean your desk before you plan on studying so you don’t have to worry about it later. Keep all of your books and studying materials together in one place so you don’t loose them. Only take out the things you need to work on at that moment, don’t overwhelm yourself with more than one subject. Finally keep your phone away from that study area. Your phone can be the most distracting thing on the planet by keeping it in another room or out of your view can help you stay focused on your studying.

Get to cleaning that desk!

4. Take a break! Make time for you!

With everything going on and all the studying you have to do it’s okay to take a break! You don’t want to overwhelm yourself and completely crash in the middle of studying to then find yourself like this…

Breaks are not a bad thing if you manage your time wisely. Keep your breaks short and don’t let yourself get too distracted. By taking long breaks you’re more likely to get off track and not get back to studying. Keep your breaks structured at least 15-25 minutes long. If you go any longer (and this is from personal experience) you might end up procrastinating and binge-watching a show on Netflix. During your break take the time to listen to music to clear your head, take a shower or maybe even make some food and a cup of coffee. After doing simple tasks like that your mind can feel refreshed and you can go back to studying with a clear head. Also, try to limit your social media use (believe me this is easier said than done.) We all know that feeling when we scroll through our phones and say ” I can start after I finish this video” or ” I can start studying a half hour from now” when in reality we get lost in what we scroll through and three hours later we still haven’t started studying. Don’t let this happen to you so take a break you deserve it!

By using some of these tips and tricks it can help lessen the stress all your tests can bring. Just stay calm and tackle it one test at a time. You are smart and you’ve got this!

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