It’s midterms week here at Oregon and it can be stressful. As a sophomore this is my 4th midterms week so I know what to expect by now, but still it’s a tough part of the school year. It can be hard on you mentally, so these are some things I do to make sure I have the most successful week I can.
I am such a scatter brain. I constantly forget about things so the first thing I have to do is mark everything in a planner, and I mean everything. That includes stuff for school, clubs, working out, I even write down to eat and take breaks. This is something that has helped me so much because I’m far less prone to forget important events. It has also helped reduce my stress of making sure I’m not missing anything because before I got a planner, I always missed something.
The next thing I do is I start studying for some tests the week before. If you were blessed and weren’t given any exams for midterms this won’t apply to you. For me, I learned I was a crammer which never worked and I would always be upset after I took tests. This will really help you save time, retain more information, and put less stress on you when it comes time to take your test.
But the most important thing I’ve learned to do more is take breaks. I get so caught up in what I’m doing and end up leaving no time for myself. This drives me crazy and puts me in a bad mood. I’ve learned it is so important to take breaks and do something you enjoy. You can cook, exercise, watch TV, take a nap, etc. The possibilities are endless and I truly believe it helps you study better. It lowers my stress, which makes it harder for me to retain information after reading about the same thing for hours on end.
Stress is the main enemy for me during this time of the year. I get so wrapped up in school and making sure I get good grades that I work for hours on end and I forget to do basic things like take breaks, eat, and even go outside for a little bit. But this is still something I work on because even when I do these things I do the bare minimum. I go stand on my balcony for fresh air and live off of toast and cereal. I’m learning to improve on valuing my health and making sure I’m eating healthy during a high stress time in my life, but it’s definitely a work in progress.
Obviously what works on me might not work for other people, but these are some tips I recommend if you find yourself stressed out during midterms week and don’t know what to do. And these tips work year round too and they can even apply for life outside of school. Make sure that you don’t stress yourself so much that you don’t take your physical and mental health seriously