The time is now, friends. Finals: They are upon us. At times like these, we must stick together to ensure the greatest amount of success. While we may feel the urge to hibernate, to recede back into the comfort of our safe beds and do away with the responsibilities by sleeping, we must fight these urges and conquer this journey called “higher education.” Here are some strategies to help you divide and conquer this upcoming finals week.
Remember to take breaks. Studying for hours on end is actually bad for the brain. So rather than planning out every subject you’re going to study during each hour, remember the importance of relaxation. Take a few hours around 3 p.m. to stare at Netflix with glossy eyes. You know you’ll never be able to live with yourself if you don’t find out what happened to Fish Mooney on “Gotham,” so treat yourself and watch the next episode. Forty-five minutes never hurt anybody, so take some “me” time.
It’s okay to cry. It’s important to be in touch with one’s emotions, especially during college, a period of our lives where we experience major personality growth. Knowing when you need to sob on the floor of your apartment for two straight hours means you’re moving in the right direction and that you’re in touch with your own feelings. So grab the tissues and stock up on some hydrating coconut water, because you deserve to cry so hard you pop a blood vessel in your eye. You’re not only relieving stress, but you’re also growing as an adult.
Make the best use of your time. At this point, you may be feeling some slight pressure from the realization that you procrastinated during the beginning months of the semester and that you aren’t as far along in the information as you need to be. Don’t worry — plan out your time. Set out blue prints and designs, hire an engineer and build a time machine. By the time it’s done, you’ll be backed right up to finals week, but it won’t matter because you’ll have cracked the code. Now, you have a way to go back to that Saturday in October where you slept until 5 p.m., sat in your underwear watching YouTube videos of cats until 11 and then went out with your friends. You can still have the fun memories of that early-morning trip to In ‘N Out, but also relive the day and fill it with studies. You get the best of both worlds.
Explore. Our surroundings play a large part of the effects of our studying. If you’ve been sitting in one position for a long time, stand up and take a walk. Move your body, get the blood pumping. Start jogging — increase that cardiovascular activity — and don’t stop! Just keep running — the rush of oxygen will increase brain activity, and you’ll notice better retention. Run all the way to California. Test out your skills — create a new name, life, job and really get into that workplace environment you’ve been trying to reach for four years anyway.
Meditate. Get in touch with who you are each day, and set some goals for yourself. Head to a dim area, where you can be comfortable, and take a nice sitting position, or lie down. Clear your mind, reflect on your week. You may become so relaxed that you fall into a light sleep, but that’s alright — this is your meditation time. You may end up sleeping through finals week, but that just means your body needed the rest. Don’t fret when you come to on Dec. 23 — you made it through finals, and you’re that much closer to being home and happy for the holidays.