De-Stressing

Ahh, Finals Week. How I've missed you. I actually do like Finals Week at my school. It's super laid back (go to school, take a test, leave!), I have no homework, and I get to catch up on my sleep. Yay!

For many people, Finals Week is super stressful. People at my school who are perfectly normal the rest of the year now freak out about failing their finals and failing their classes. It's ridiculous, and I was lucky enough to realize this before I took my finals the first semester of my freshman year. I use Finals Week as a time to clear my head and get my life back in order. Because let's face it, late in the semester, things get a little crazy.

The first thing I do to get rid of stress is to create time for myself. Whatever I want to do, for an hour each day, I do it. Whether it means reading a book, watching TV, or as is often in my case, going to an extra dance class, I take time for myself. It's so important to step back and look at the bigger picture. If you study yourself into oblivion, you won't perform well on your exam. Simple really. We all know that maintaining our mental health is crucial, especially in a potentially stressful time like this one.

I also make sure to exercise every day. For me, this is easy throughout the year, because I have Poms and dance classes almost every day, but during Finals Week, I take all my extra time to do more. During my study breaks, I'll do thirty minutes on the elliptical and come back feeling recharged and reenergized. Exercise clears your head and makes you happy. It's a scientifically proven fact. And who doesn't love science when it benefits you?

Lastly, I study, but I don't go overboard! I take an hour and a half for each subject with an exam–which is the time of each final exam at my school–and break that up over the days preceding my test. I use that hour and a half wisely, to skim over things I know and to deeply and thoroughly review the things I need extra help with. And when my ninety minutes is up, I'm done. I move on. I've realized that, after a certain point, all the studying in the world isn't going to help you pass if you don't know everything well enough deep down. Instead of learning everything the week of finals, I make sure I study hard throughout the semester so that I can take my exams with confidence.

Good luck to all of you who have exams this week!!

XO

North Shore Prep