As the end of the year approaches, students are preparing for one of the most stress inducing challenges of college: finals. Just mentioning exams can be enough to give goosebumps to even the best students. But what if I told you that there is a way to tackle finals with less stress and with a smile on your face? Let me introduce to you the power of humor.
Humor and exams? One hundred percent. Adding a little bit of laughter to studying can do wonders for your mental well-being. Laughter also helps relieve tension and boost memory retention, transforming the dreading and stressing over preparing for exams, into a more manageable, and dare we say, enjoyable experience.
Picture this: instead of blankly staring at your notes, wondering where to even start to review, gather your study group for a “punny” review session. Together, you can transform textbook definitions into mnemonic devices or witty anecdotes, have fun acting out scenes from the readings in your English class, or write silly songs to remember things like the periodic table. Not only has this been shown to help people better remember information, but also create a deeper sense of community. Laughter helps people bond, and this bond can make you more comfortable in asking for help from your peers.
The benefits of humor during this time can extend beyond just studying. During breaks, take a moment to unwind with a comedy sketch or funny YouTube video. Laughter has been proven to reduce stress by releasing endorphins and decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure afterwards. This makes it the perfect antidote to your pre-exam jitters. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter also improves your immune system. Add laughter to your day to keep the doctor away, and improve your chances of not being sick on exam day!
The stress of studying and preparing for exams can alter aspects of your daily routine. Instead of being swept away by it all, use humor to bring some joy back into your day. You can create a playlist of your favorite comedians to listen to as you get ready for the day. You can also do things to add little bits of joy into your day, like adorning your water bottles with funny stickers, or sharing a joke or two with your friends or study groups.
While laughter can be a powerful tool for coping with stress, it is necessary to find a balance between humor and productivity. Using humor to make studying easier and more fun is not an excuse to forego diligent study habits. So, by all means, laugh your way through finals, but don’t forget to put in the work too.
In the grand scheme of things, exams are just a small portion of a short time of your life. Instead of letting anxiety and stress get in the way of your success, why not approach finals week with a sense of humor? Whether you’re cracking jokes with friends or finding the humor in your own mistakes, choosing to embrace laughter during finals week can help you stay more relaxed, focused, and maybe even earn you a few extra credit points for creativity on those last few class assignments. So go ahead and laugh your way through finals. After all, as Charlie Chaplain once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”