It is one of the most gorgeous times of the year where I live. I am woken up by chirping birds, the plants outside my window are all starting to bloom, and there are hardly any clouds in the sky. It is warm with a high UV index, but there is enough of a breeze so it isn’t much of a bother. Spring is finally here and to university students, summer is right around the corner, meaning there is one thing stopping us from beginning our summer break: final exams.
During finals week, I am typically on autopilot. I stay awake all hours of the day and read from lecture notes and textbooks until I’m nauseous. I only leave my room to eat or if I absolutely must go somewhere. I also cut contact with all of my friends and won’t talk to anybody until I hand in that last exam, which is such a horrible mindset! This finals week I made a promise to not isolate myself in my room and to actually still live like a human, this has been going pretty well except for one thing: the fear of missing out. I see all of my friends making plans to hangout, and I so badly want to be there with them. Not to mention the beautiful weather lately and all the new things being released, I feel like the cards are against university students right now. Although it is absolutely crucial that I study, I managed to do a couple of things to avoid missing out.
Adapting to the Weather
When the weather is as beautiful as this, why would I want to waste it by being indoors?! With something so simple as changing my study environment, I am now able to enjoy the weather. I have been doing a lot of revising outside in my backyard to soak up as much of the sun as I can. The media I am using changes my study location. When I’m just reading from a book, I have been sitting on a chair or a blanket on the grass. If I need to use my laptop, I avoid the sun by sitting under my porch so I am still able to be outside. If I need to spread everything onto a table, I sit inside but make sure to sit where I can crack open a window and get the best natural light.
Managing My Time
There are twenty four hours in a day; I do not need to spend twenty four hours studying non-stop. I also do not need to go a full day without revising, because that will just lead to me cramming. For me, the best thing I can do is make a general schedule to follow. I am somebody who doesn’t like to take breaks unless they are long ones, so I have planned long chunks of studying throughout the day, with several, hour long, breaks in between. This way I have time to study but also do things that I want to do within the same day. I don’t need study days and rest days when I know I can have both! I have also made plans with friends throughout the week so I can still participate and hangout, but I’m not avoiding studying because of it either.
Rewarding Myself
Exam season is the time where mental health and self care are most important and most needed. If I am not taking care of my body and mind, how can I ever expect to do well? Before exams started I made sure to run to the grocery store to pick up all of my favourite snacks and drinks so I have ‘treats’ for when I feel like I need a quick pick-me-up. I made sure I had a clean room and an organized desk, since that is one less thing I need to worry about. I also wanted to make sure I was keeping up with my self care so I have things like bath bombs and face masks to use when I need a break.