We made it to finals! And crud, it’s time for finals. Here are a few strategies that can help you finish strong. Summer is just around the corner. Stay strong fellow Lumberjacks.
1. Stay Focused
It’s easy to get bored when you’re studying and tempting to want to pick up your phone instead. In the home stretch of the semester, consider strategies that help you lock in.
One strategy that works for some people is putting the phone on airplane mode or sleep mode and then giving yourself permission to have a 5-minute phone break every half hour or every hour. Set timers for each phone break to help you get back to it.
2. Take Study Breaks
Studying for exams or finals for that matter may feel like you have to study to the extreme. How many times have you heard “No Pain No Gain” or to pull an “All Nighter” or other sayings for constructs like Hustle culture.
Well, it is okay to take breaks while studying and to take something called a “brain break”. During a brain break, which usually should last 3-15 minutes long (depending on the person) you can stretch, listen to music, meditate, do deep breathing exercises, check your phone, walk around the building, doodle, watch a video, or do whatever feels right to you.
By taking a brain break studying can feel less stressful and give you time to relax and recuperate before continuing with the rest of your studying.
3. Careful with Caffeine
Earlier, the word “All Nighter” was thrown around, the idea that you study all night and get minimal sleep in the hopes of maximizing your work. Students often go about all-nighters by consuming copious amounts of caffeine.
Some popular sources of caffeine are coffee and energy drinks such as Monster or Celsius. Although this may make sense to stay awake and maximize performance, too much caffeine can actually hinder it!
It’s great to have a nice cup of coffee and be refreshed by an energy drink every once in a while but just like many other things you may not want to overdo it.
Too much caffeine can cause:
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Agitation
- Confusion
- Fast heartbeat
- Nervousness
If you’re already nervous about upcoming exams, these may not sound like things you’d want to add on top of that. There are other ways to improve your alertness and one of the biggest tips is to get sufficient amounts of sleep each night…which brings us to the 4th tip…
4. Get Good Sleep
You probably have heard this plenty of times, but it is because getting enough sleep has a big impact on your alertness and stress levels. Most students do not get enough sleep during the night.
For college students specifically, you may have heard that getting 7-9 hours of sleep is the best way to get the benefits. What are those benefits you may ask?
Benefits of getting enough sleep include:
- Improve memory
- Promotes creativity
- Improves alertness
- Decreased daytime fatigue
Now these benefits seem like something that can decrease the stress of finals and make you feel more capable!
5. Move Your Body
Engaging in enjoyable forms of movement relieves stress and helps increase focus. Researchers have even found links between exercise and memory or knowledge retention. That’s right – physical activity may even boost your test scores.
Find ways to be active that are enjoyable for you – something that serves as both a fun break, and a stress release.
As you go about applying these strategies, be realistic with your expectations and do what feels best to you. Wishing you good luck with any exams coming your way!