Stressing Out?

By Karolyn Castaldo on November 10, 2011

Let’s face it, college is one of the most awesome times you will ever have in your life, but it’s also one of the most stressful. If you are on a trimester or quarter system (like I am) your finals are coming up in less than two weeks. Work is piling up and you are finding that you’re getting overwhelmed. How do you handle it?

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Take a Break

Sometimes, studying yourself silly is worse for test taking than anything else. When you do not let yourself take breaks, you do not retain information as well. It is better to make sure that you have time to relax in between studying than going straight for hours. If you want, make yourself study for an hour, then take 5-30 minutes for a break, depending on how you want to spend it. take as much time as you can without wasting too much time.

Work Out

Working out is a great way to relieve stress. You are sweating out bad toxins that are causing you to worry as well as feel crummy. If you’re not a big gym person, don’t worry, you can go for a walk outside, ride your bike, or just do some stretches or yoga poses on the floor of your room to relieve some tension and get the blood flowing. Think you don’t have time and that you need to study? Take your notes and walk on the treadmill while reading them. You will be getting active as well as getting some of your work done! You will also feel refreshed and less tired than you were before you went.

Eat Right

Do not load up on energy drinks and coffee just because you’re tired. Eating well-balanced meals and drinking lots of water has proved to have better effects than simply overdoing the caffeine. Also, your study snacks should be as healthy as possible. Try grabbing some vegetables and fruit or some trail mix to keep you going, rather than a candy bar or chips. The lack of chemicals in these healthier snacks will increase your brain function and help you feel ready to do the work, rather than sluggish. Also, skipping meals will not help you in any way!

Sleep More

I know this sounds like a broken record, but sleeping at least 8 hours provides the best results. If you are getting about 5 hours on week nights due to homework and then sleeping 12 on the weekends, you are not making up for the sleep you lost during the week. Staying on top of your work and getting more sleep is going to have you feeling much better. Also, taking power naps for 20-30 minutes in the middle of the day helps way more than an hour nap, because you will not enter your REM sleep cycle, making a shorter nap way more energizing.

Go Out

Like I said, college is supposed to be fun, so do not spend your entire last few weeks hitting the books. Whether you decide to catch a movie, grab some coffee or go to a party, make some time to see your friends. They probably were considering filing a missing person report because you have been in the library so much. Gauge how much work you have and pick an activity that will take up enough time for you to relax, but will not keep you from your studies for so long that you are unprepared.

Finally, there is a point where you won’t retain any more information. For your own health and sanity, accept that and do the best that you can. Sometimes there is only so much you can do, so locking yourself in your room with no sleep, junk food and caffeine will only make you more stressed and less prepared for your test. Get some sleep, eat right, and take a break and you are sure to kick butt on your final exams!

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