You probably can’t believe it’s about to be dead week and finals week already. I can’t either. Before you start freaking out and saying, “yup, I am going to fail my exams if I don’t study 24/7 for the next however-many days,” stop and think about how you can study smart and treat yourself at the same time.
I’m here to tell you that you should do everything you can to take care of yourselves during these next two weeks. It sounds impossible to be taking care of yourself while you have so much studying to do, but it will play a very important role in your performance during finals.
Here are some ways to stay sane and survive finals week:
1) Naps
Number one thing I would stress is the power of naps. While getting adequate rest is important, naps keep you going throughout the day. I'm not talking about a two-hour nap (although it’s great if you have the time), I'm talking about a 30- or 10-minute nap. Speaking from personal experience, I promise these give you superpowers. According to Time Magazine, research shows that naps lower stress, improve brain function and help with focus and creativity.
2) Music
Music is always a great idea. It helps you relax as well as concentrate. It gets you energized and more motivated, as well as keeping you interested and far away from boredom. Find yourself a fire playlist of your choice and zone into your writing or studying. I like listening to Black Hippy, a lot of R&B, and old school hip hop. Research has shown that listening to classical music while studying can help students do better on their assessments.
3) Healthy snacks and staying hydrated
It seems like a reasonable excuse to stuff yourself with junk food, because you don’t have enough time to cook, grocery shop, etc. According to Huffington Post’s blog on how to manage stress during finals week, junk food affects your concentration and memory, and can be followed by a food coma.
Eating nutritious foods and snacks will energize you and help with your concentration and memory.
Another thing is water. Water water water, staying hydrated is really important. Drink your water with you along side your coffee. Dehydration causes headaches and fatigue leading to more health problems. You really don’t want to be sick during finals week just because you didn’t drink enough water.
