What students can do to survive finals week

Steven John Ndikum
Staff Writer

Entering the winter and having to face the finals can be stressful. While stress is constant throughout the semester, stress during finals week takes it to a whole new level. Here are six easy ways to rest and relax during finals week to help you make it through the madness and stress.

Stay Positive: Get time away/alone. Chances are, everyone you know at school is stressed during finals week, too. Take a few minutes to take a walk off-campus, treat yourself to a coffee in a place not full of stressed students, or find some other way/place that you can get yourself out of the finals-week environment, if even just for a few minutes.

Unplug and Reboot Before Exams: Spend three to five minutes not doing anything. Meditation often serves as a pathway for self-refill. This is often more challenging than it sounds. But take a few minutes to turn off all of your technology and sit and relax—even meditate, if you can. Those few minutes can calm your mind and your spirit while helping you refocus and recharge.

Relax and Have Some Fun: Spend 15-20 minutes doing something purely for fun. The break for your brain will do wonders for its productivity later. Watch silly YouTube videos, read a trashy magazine, play a video game, or Skype with a friend far away.

Workout: Get some exercise in a low-stress situation. Translation: practice with your basketball team doesn’t count. Go for a relaxing walk, ride your bike without knowing where you’ll end up, or go for a quick jog. And if it’s too cold outside, try something new in the gym. You might be surprised by how relaxed — and energized! — you feel afterward.

Watch the Game: Attend a sporting event. If you’re studying for finals at the end of the fall semester, chances are you can attend a football or basketball game during finals week. Leave your books in your room and really let yourself relax and enjoy, knowing that the time spent away will help your studying later.

Get Things Out of Your Brain and Onto Paper: Make a list—and write down everything. For some people, making a list can really help reduce stress because it helps put things in perspective. The best way to get things organized and to get a feeling of satisfaction is to write down every single thing you need to do—like eating breakfast/lunch/dinner, doing laundry, getting some sleep, and going to class.

Getting things written down—and then crossed off—can do wonders for your sense of control and accomplishment during a very busy time.

Feature photo by Maria Ly | MSU Reporter.