Staying Healthy During Final Exams
Developing habits to handle times of stress.
After months of learning, assignments, group projects, and late nights spent studying, final exams are often the last thing standing between you and a well-deserved break.
Final exam season can be an extremely stressful time for university students, as you face the pressure of performing well on your exams while also dealing with the countless other demands of daily life. We’ve compiled some of our Arts Undergraduate Student Services (USS) team’s tips to help you stay healthy during these challenging times, and for times of stress in the future.
Schedule and Take Breaks
It can be tempting to spend all of your time studying during final exam season, but it’s important to take breaks to give your mind a rest. Simply chugging another coffee/Red Bull in Rutherford North and pushing harder to absorb more information won’t help you in the long run, but striving to have a balanced schedule will!
Using tools such as Google Calendar, iCal, and other scheduling tools to intentionally block out times of work and rest can help you use your time more efficiently, and it always helps to have nice things to look forward to when you’re working hard. This tip is easy to incorporate into the rest of our advice in this article, as scheduling out time for meals, exercise, socializing, mindfulness, and other activities is essential to ensure that you’re maintaining balance during times of stress.
Trust yourself to take some time away from your studies to recharge your batteries, you’ll thank yourself for it.
Develop Sleep Habits
Easier said than done, right? When your brain has been racing all day from studying or preparing for your finals, sometimes it can feel quite difficult to decompress at the end of the day.
A lack of sleep can exacerbate stress and anxiety, so it’s crucial to get enough rest during exam season. If you need to, make a buffer between strenuous or mentally demanding activities and the time that you need to get to sleep. Your body and mind need time to unwind before coming to a stop, and that means you can also make time for relaxing with simple activities like reading, watching TV, or other basic activities.
Stick to a regular sleep schedule and try to avoid caffeine and other stimulants that can interfere with your sleep, especially around bedtime. Some studies have concluded that consuming caffeine 6 hours before bedtime can have disruptive effects on sleep outcomes, so time your triple espressos wisely!
Check Your Self-talk
When pressure is high, it’s easy for negative thoughts to spiral. Maybe you have thoughts of failing or never graduating, or maybe they’re self-critical thoughts telling you you’re stupid or lazy. This kind of self-talk is not helpful and usually not accurate. Invite compassion and understanding as you hit the books. Think about how you would talk to a friend and then apply it to yourself. You’ll likely feel better and find your productivity increases as well.
Take Time For Connection
Don’t isolate yourself during exam season. It can be tempting to bury yourself in work and feel too exhausted to socialize, but your network of supporters, classmates, colleagues, friends, and family is necessary for emotional support and to help you stay motivated.
“Experts say that almost all of us benefit from social and emotional support. And though it may seem counterintuitive, having strong social support can actually make you more able to cope with problems on your own, by improving your self-esteem and sense of autonomy.”
-APA.org
Nobody gets through university alone, the process is designed for us to collaborate and come up with solutions together. Lean on your classmates for study groups, to share notes, or just to have people to talk concepts over with so that you don’t feel isolated in your studies.
Eat Healthy Food
It can feel challenging to get fresh groceries, take the time to prepare healthy meals, and do this for several meals every day, but you can’t underestimate how vital proper nutrition can be for keeping your mind and body healthy. If you can make the cooking feel like an intentional activity, a sort of break, you can change meal preparation from feeling like a chore to something enjoyable.
A healthy diet can help you manage stress and anxiety, so make sure you’re getting enough nutritious food during exam season. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and other simple foods can keep you feeling focused and engaged even when the pressure gets high. Avoid processed and sugary foods if you can, these often lead to energy crashes and mood swings (but of course, it’s nice to have treats here and there).
If you’re looking for somewhere to start, here are 86 student-friendly recipes from BBC Good Food.
Try your best to stay hydrated throughout the day too! Everyone needs different amounts of water, but by keeping a water bottle near you while you’re studying, relaxing, or even during your final exams you can avoid dehydration with ease.
Exercise When Possible
After studying for a long time without getting up or changing your activity, do you ever feel REALLY inside your head? Like you’re just an information-processing machine? Sometimes you need to intentionally break out of this feeling by doing something physical, which reminds you that you’re a human being made up of many important parts.
Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and boost your mood, so try to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. It doesn’t have to be much, even just a walk around the block can do the trick, so follow your inclinations to find a frequency and intensity that works for you.
The key here is to feel more connected to your body, and in return, feel more connected to your mind.
“Physical activity can help you think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy an emotional balance. It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression.“
-Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Practice Mindfulness
“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
-Mindful.org
Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and meditation can help you stay calm and focused during exam season. Try setting aside a few minutes each day to practice mindfulness.
One common mindfulness technique that anyone can incorporate into their daily life is journaling, where you write down your thoughts or feelings each day to reflect upon what you’re going through at any given moment. Keeping a journal helps you understand where you were in the past, where you are at the present, and where you would like to be in the future, and all you need to get started is a pen and some paper (or digitally, that works too)!
Keeping your mental and physical wellness a top priority during finals season will not only help you succeed in your academic pursuits but will also help you develop routines and coping strategies that may last a lifetime. By taking care of yourself and practicing self-care (be kind to yourself!), you can reduce stress and perform your best on your exams.
