Another semester has flown by and you have found yourself, once again, drowning in essays, exams, group projects and presentations. Your life has become a blur of sleepless nights fueled by copious amounts of coffee and energy drinks. High stress levels have you contemplating dropping out of school and becoming a street performer.
While it may seem like the end of life as you know it, here are a few helpful hints to get you through finals week alive.
Don’t forget to breathe
Even if you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all that you need to, give yourself a break from time to time. Overworking your brain will only slow your progress and raise your stress. So even if it’s only for a few minutes, pause and take a deep breath.
Sleep tight
Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again? You’ll find that this infamous piece of tech advice can be applied to humans just as much as electronics. When the words in your textbook start blurring together and you’re struggling to form coherent sentences, it may be time to turn your brain off for a moment. A simple power nap can work wonders.
Divide and conquer
When your to-do list looks like it could be your final essay, it’s tempting to just toss it aside and give up. Breaking the list into smaller tasks and short term goals will make it easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Swear by your syllabus
Wouldn’t it be great if professors provided a road map for us to follow throughout the semester? When you find yourself lost and can’t remember just how many assignments behind you are or when they were due, dig your syllabus out from the depths of your backpack (or look it up online if you just can’t find it) and proceed to be amazed at the treasure map that you hold in your hands.
Eliminate distraction
Log out from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and tell your friends that movie night will have to wait. With your entire semester’s grade at stake, focus is vital even if it means sacrificing the social aspect of your life for a week.
Find strength in numbers
With your own grade at stake it’s easy to forget that you’re not alone. Collaborate with your classmates to create study guides and hold group study sessions. Chances are, if you put your heads together you’ll be able to cover more bases than you would have on your own.