Surviving Finals

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With finals week and Christmas break approaching rather quickly, it’s easy to let the work and the stress pile up. When the “hoping for the best” attitude starts to be most students’ coping mechanism in order to get through it. However, there’s only one week left, and for some it is not even a full one. Staying motived through finals is the only thing you can do that will lead you to have successful finals week. Do not go home for break and hug your parents knowing in the back of your mind that your grades are not where they are supposed to be.

There are many ways to stay motivated. Start by staying on top of your sleep schedule and eating brain food. Getting a good night’s rest will help keep your brain focused and keep you energized. That way, you’ll have enough energy to help you study and prep for the upcoming finals next week. Eating healthy is another way to keep your mind sharp and ready for whatever your professors decided to throw at you. Throwing some green on your plate at dinner won’t kill you; in fact, it may just be your saving grace when you finally sit down to study.

Another tip is to make your own study guide and lists. Create flash cards or one-page paper study guides in your own words to help you better understand the material. Also, make lists with exam times and final project due dates and illustrate it with what needs to be done first. That way, you’ll stay organized and won’t miss any turn-in dates, since there will likely be a lot of them. If you have any big projects or huge papers coming up, try to get those done first. This will make next week not be as stressful. When it does come down to studying or working on anything, try to pick a good study space. Try going to the quiet floor or single rooms in the library. Sometimes staying in your dorm or apartment may not be the best decision, just because you want to eliminate any distractions that could potentially get in the way of your studying.

Remember to take breaks. Sometimes overloading yourself with work will make you actually not retain the information you are studying. Go out with friends, go get some food or just enjoy some relaxation time. Sometimes, your brain needs to watch a Netflix episode just as much as you do. Partake in activities that help ease your mind and that you love to do. Finals week does not need to be stressful the whole time so don’t make it that way.

Lastly, just breathe. It’s only one week of your life, and as long as you put in your full effort and try your best, everything will turn out with positive results. Whenever everything seems to become too much, sit back and take one big breath in. Even if you think finals week will break you, it won’t.

Try to motivate yourself by thinking about the positives. Give yourself some incentives to get you through the hard times next week. Think about Christmas Eve and New Years’ Eve. Think about all the homemade food you’ll get to consume. But most importantly think about all that time you have off with no assignments or homework staring at you. We are almost there.

Sleep, study, eat, drink, study, breathe and stay motivated. Those are the secrets to surviving finals weeks. Focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, which just so happens to be all of the Christmas lights.