This past week I had to deal with a midterm which was pretty stressful since it was the first one back in person since March 2020. They were really nerve-racking because I tend to get very scared of taking tests and most of the quizzes within the class had been hard, I thought I would fail. I studied for a couple of days straight as well as tried attending office hours. On the day of the test, I was able to study in the morning before class. Finally, when my grade was released, I was very content to find out I had received an A-. Now that I know I don’t have to stress as much, here are some of the things I do to reward myself as well as destress:
- Go out to eat
This is something that I think is necessary. I love food so rewarding myself by getting food I rarely eat is a huge deal. This time I rewarded myself with Sonic since there is one close to me here at my school. This made me feel happy about my accomplishment and hopeful that I can continue to get grades like this. Since this time the reward was for something not so big, I stuck with something food-wise that wasn’t too fancy because the choice of the food depends on each occasion.
- Netflix & Nap
I really enjoy doing this since it allows me to completely be empty-minded and not stress about my classes. This tends to be a way that also helps me nap when i want to so it makes it easier to relax in that way. Also sometimes it allows me to not really think about a show and still be really invested which is very nice especially after taking a huge exam or so.
- Do other homework
By doing other homework, I can’t stop thinking about the class that I’ve been stressing about. Now, this may seem weird, but if I am dealing with multiple midterms or quizzes by focusing on the other class I am able to not worry so much about the same material and maybe even work on a class that I enjoy a lot more than the one I’ve been stressing about.
- Talk with friends
By communicating with my friends, I am able to get rid of the stress that I’ve been dealing with and also see if they have been dealing with similar stress. Sometimes just connecting with friends and having similar situations makes it easier to discuss as well as get advice or help on how to study or do better with midterms. This can also help them see that they are not the only ones dealing with these issues and maybe feel better.
These are some of the things that I do after taking a big exam so that I can relax and feel better. Depending on how difficult the test is, I tend to do different things after my test because sometimes it can be more impactful or stressful to deal with.