How to Deal with Stress from Finals?

Things to help cope with stress during finals week:

*Have a Good Game Plan: During finals week, it is usual to see a college student seemingly rushing, tired, and often overwhelmed. To a certain extent, much of this will continue to happen as the pressures of the week is inevitable but careful planning will help relieve some stress. Study times can be made for each class. It is important not to have distracting electronics which may tempt you to turn your attention in other places. Stick to your schedule and make it happen.
*Study with a Purpose- Students often study with no purpose. Studying is sometimes defined as a student taking out notes from a class and just reading over them for hours and hours and after time passes, they cannot comprehend and analyze anything that they have read. One way to eliminate this from happening is to study in shorter increments. Instead of studying for hours and hours, study for 45 minutes to an hour, take a short break and start back. This allows the information to “sink in” and helps eliminate the sleepiness and drowsiness that studying may help develop.
*Form a Study Group- Another way to cope with stress is to find a few people to study with. It’s often beneficial to have someone to talk problems and questions out with. Some people strengths may override your weaknesses and vice versa. You hardly ever see a person smiling and joking during finals’ week because so much is a stake, but a little laughter and joy may promote intellectual processing.
*Treat Your Body Right- The main thing under this bullet is “DO NOT CRAM.” Give your body the proper rest needed to successfully retain information and also eat the right foods to give your body the energy boost needed to get through the stressful week. At least 5 hours of sleep is needed to retain information.
*Picture Your Success and the End of Finals Week- The last point may be one of the most critical. As stated above, finals are a natural stressor to everyone, even the calmer people. It is important to visualize yourself having success. It is often beneficial to look at the “end of the road” and say “Ok, I know I am going to have a long grueling week but afterwards this will all pay off with me receiving a high grade and to top it off, a long break away from school and work will be here afterwards.”
*Bonus: Moderately Exercise- Moderate exercise can be used to help alleviate stress during this week. Be sure not to exercise too vigorously though as this may increase stress levels and may tend to cause fatigue.
With this said: GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!