Take Care of Yourself During Finals

By Sami Dugdale
Blog Content Contributor

With finals going on next week and the week after, students are finding themselves spending more and more time at the library and getting less sleep than they have this entire semester. While it is important for us to study for our exams and do well in our classes, we must also remember that it is vital to make some time for yourself. Too much stress isn’t healthy and sometimes even a little break can make a big difference in this time of the year.

An example of this could be taking a simple 30 minute to an hour study break. Tear yourself away from your computer screen, grab a blanket and a granola bar, and go outside to lay in the sun for a little bit. The weather in San Marcos has been so nice lately and it’s just the perfect temperature to go outside and relax. Or, if you want you want to ramp up your relaxation, go hang up a hammock somewhere (there’s a whole grove of trees behind the Theatre building). Taking a nap in a hammock is, in my opinion, one of the most relaxing pastimes out there.

Another option is spending 30 minutes just doing something for fun. Whatever that may be, taking a Buzzfeed quiz, watching an episode of your favorite TV show, or playing a video game, giving your brain that quick break will help you continue to study late through the night.

I’m not going to tell you “go to bed early” because I’m fully aware that there is no such thing as a good night’s sleep during finals week. However, what I can advise is to try and eat healthy foods during this time! Eating junk food (like Panda Express and Chick-fil-a) every day is going to just make your body even more tired than it already is. You can treat yourself to something sweet every now and then, but it’s best to eat foods that will boost your energy, not drain it.

I know this one might not be for everyone, but going to the gym can help release some of that steam pent up inside you from the past few days. After a good workout, I tend to find that I feel really energized and ready to take on the world. You can even channel that energy as motivation to jam even more information into your brain.

One last method of taking care of yourself is simply taking some time to hang out with your friends. Studying can make you turn into a hermit and forget that there is a world outside our room/the library, and it’s healthy to take time to be around people. Even studying with your friends can help you obtain information easier and release some of the stress that comes with exams.

Featured image by Asia Daggs.