Coming back from Thanksgiving break is never easy, especially for college students with the anxiety of finals looming over us. Some of us are trying to get our grades up, some are catching up on missing assignments, and some are preparing for graduation. All in all, this is a stressful two weeks for UMSL students.
Finding time to de-stress and relax is important during the week leading up to and the week of finals. Taking care of yourself is one of the most important ways to ensure that you make it through the end of the semester. I would like to share 5 tips and strategies to keep the stress at bay. Self-care is extremely important, especially during high-stress moments in life. This article is an excellent read for people wanting to know why taking care of yourself helps improve productivity.
1. The Box Breathing Technique
The Box Breathing technique is known to help reduce stress and improve concentration. Box breathing can be imagined as following the lines on a square. You inhale for four seconds, hold the inhale for four seconds, exhale for four seconds and wait for four seconds before repeating the cycle.
This breathing technique can be repeated as many times as needed to relax or focus. Counting the breaths and exhales focuses the mind on the body rather than external stressors, effectively acting like a “reset” button.
2. Use Study Schedule
Studying and working on papers or projects will probably be taking up most of your time for the next two weeks, so making a schedule to manage your study time will help improve stress and anxiety.
In a previous article, I mentioned using the app Notion to keep track of due dates and notetaking all in one place. Apps like Notion allow you to make a study schedule that will be easier to follow, especially if all your notes and due dates are in the same application.
While making a study schedule may help ease some of the stress, staying on top of it will help tenfold. A good study schedule will save time for breaks and allow leniency for anything you may be falling behind on.
3. Take Breaks
With that being said, taking breaks is incredibly important in maintaining your mind and body. While you may want to pull an all-nighter to get that last paper done, you will have a better chance at a good grade if you split the work on the paper into multiple sessions with relaxing breaks in between.
A common break schedule that I find to be effective is taking a five-minute break every twenty-five minutes. After four twenty-five-minute working sessions, take a thirty-minute break and start over until you complete the study session. I find this to be productive whenever I have a paper due or a test to study for.
During these breaks, it helps to be productive rather than scrolling through social media. Taking a walk or cleaning can help clear your mind while also staying in work mode.
4. Exercise
According to Harvard Health, regular exercise improves memory and thinking. On top of improving memory, exercise has been proven to reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
Something as simple as a walk around the block or as much as a full body workout will improve your mood and, hopefully, your studying skills.
Yoga is a good option for people who are short on time and looking for something that is not very strenuous on the body.
While exercise is good for reducing stress and improving your memory, it is also a good option for when you are in between studying. Stretching and moving around will get blood moving through your body, and you will be less likely to be stiff and cranky after the study session.
5. Sleep
Sleep may be the most important strategy for surviving the closing weeks of the semester. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night is the recommended amount for adults, according to Healthline.
A good night’s sleep will help with focus, stress and help you get to your final exam on time. Making sure you schedule a full night of sleep is the backbone of the previous tips and strategies I mentioned. Running on little to no sleep is a surefire way to negatively impact your chances of getting your desired scores on the final assignments and projects due this semester.
