Finals are stressful, but a lot of stress can be alleviated with self care. Are you taking care of yourself during this time?

Here are some things to keep in mind with finals approaching:

• Take a break
  • • You deserve it. You have made it through an entire semester during a pandemic. Don’t stress out studying now.
    • Watch some TV, go out to eat, hang out with some friends, or something else just get your mind off of school for awhile.
• Treat yourself
  • • Yes you need a break, but make your breaks beneficial for your health, too.
    • Take a long shower, use a face mask, or eat some junk food. The point is to do something nice for yourself that you don’t get to do often. Use this as a motivator during this stressful time.
• Study
  • • Of course you can’t prepare for finals without studying, but study with purpose.
    • Put your phone and any other distractions away.
    • Study for short periods of time with plenty of breaks, because the last thing you want to do is try and cram in information just to forget it by tomorrow.
    • Change up your scenery. Study somewhere where you feel comfortable, but try and get out this week to a spot where you know when you are there, you are there to study.
• Sleep
  • • Do not stay up late studying. You are going to want to be well rested for all of those tests you are preparing for.
    • Losing sleep means losing information. It will take longer to focus the more tired you become, so pick up the books when you are more well rested tomorrow, because they will still be there.
• Stay healthy
  • • If you go out in public to study, keep your mask on and wash your hands often.
    • Don’t forget to eat your meals and drink lots of water. I find myself lost in my studies and missing meal times, don’t let this happen to you during finals because you need all of the energy you can get.
    • Keep up your basic hygiene. Save time for the daily things: shower, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. The more you make this week normal, the easier it will seem.
    • Take off some steam at the gym. Even if it is just a short workout, it will get you up and moving out of your study spot for a while.
• Take it one day at a time
  • • I get that you are stressed and have a lot to do, but take a second to make a list of things that have to be done, and divide it into a daily agenda. This will help you stay task oriented.
    • Have confidence in yourself.
    • Stay positive, you just have a little bit of the semester left to go. Go Hawks!