Finals season? More like ‘give me liberty or give me death!’
In this case, you will be given death. (But liberty is soon to follow!)
Picture purple bags under eyes, dirty underwear, unbrushed hair, and coffee stains … everywhere! You have no time for laundry, sleep, screaming loudly out of frustration, or to even wash your hands after you pee. So basically you’re spiraling into a pit of your own filth and misery.
Finals week is a lot of things, but it does not have to look like that! If you still have finals coming up (I know some of you do), you need this guide.
Here are 5 things you should not be doing this finals season:
Table of Contents
1. Succumb to Distractions!
Yes, the new season of The Handmaid’s Tale is available on Hulu, yes binge watching New Girl seems to cure all kinds of scaries, and yes scrolling through Twitter never seems to disappoint.
But, DO NOT fall into the distraction trap!
Instead:
- try to surround yourself with people working towards your same goal and agree to disconnect together (I mean if you’re with your people, who is trying to contact you anyway??)
- delete apps that you usually find yourself mindlessly scrolling through (you can always reinstall after finals)
- make a plan for work and play — taking breaks is so, so, so important to studying success
2. Procrastinate
I am not lying in saying that I truly believe I work best on deadline (aka the night before the deadline).
While my approach may sometimes work, it is important to remember that finals season is a marathon, not a sprint. It is also not a time to test the theories of your capability!
So don’t just cram the night before, as tempted as you might be. Instead, vow to do a little at a time without spreading yourself too thin, set reminders and alarms, leave notes for yourself. Do anything necessary to remind you to get your work done!
3. Complain
Yes, finals suck and then you die, they pretty much stink for everyone.
Pull your head up and realize that dwelling and complaining will only make your situation worse. Plus, you’ll bring down those around you. Not nice.
A positive attitude during a stressful time goes a long way, you might even find it will help you in doing a little better on exams too!
4. Stress
Grades are important. Grades are NOT the end all be all.
One exam, class, project does not define how you are as a person or as a student.
Take a deep breath, close your eyes, you can do this! (For more on this, see our guide to beating final exam stress.)
5. Neglect Self-Care
First and foremost: YOU come first!
Don’t:
- Pull all-nighters
- Skip meals
- Disrupt your usual routine
Do:
- Try and get a decent night’s sleep, every night. If you end up pulling an all-nighter, get back on track ASAP.
- Eat balanced meals and get outside for some movement
- Stick to your normal routine
- Create an organized schedule
- Give yourself a chance to unwind, do something fun!
- Celebrate when you are all done!
Finals season is what it is: a season.
You are what you are: a great university student, no matter what!
I want to hear from you in the comments below!
What is finals week like for you? What are your best tricks for combatting the pressure? How do you like to unwind at the end of it all?