Reagle: Strategies for surviving finals week

It’s upon us: the season of stress. The final week of a semester can be rough. College bodies… It’s upon us: the season of stress. The final week of a semester can be rough. College bodies start craving more caffeine, and Hulu queues start piling up beyond any hope of watching all the missed episodes. Dark times indeed. But while there might not be a way to eliminate all the stress from your life, there are certain things you can do to keep it at an acceptable level. Below, I’ve listed a few suggestions.

Plan ahead

This is absolutely essential. If you haven’t done so already, figure out when all of your essay due dates and tests are. Put them on a calendar. This might seem like it will make you more stressed, but it shouldn’t. You can’t change when things are due; you just need to create a plan of attack. Once you can see which days will be especially hectic, you know how much you need to work ahead. When you know you have a final and two papers due on the same day, you can’t plan to do all that work 24 hours beforehand. Give yourself a flexible schedule and figure out a to-do list. And then stick to it.

Breaking work into pieces makes it a lot less overwhelming. If you’re stressed about a mountain of homework, break it up. It’ll be significantly less daunting when you do it in smaller pieces. It’s like when I recently watched someone eat a two-pound hamburger in one hour on TV. He didn’t just dive in and start chowing down like you’d eat a normal-sized burger. He started with the top of the bun and worked his way through in sections. This is what you need to do with your classwork. Take it one step at a time.

Breathe 

I mean it. If you feel really stressed out, take five minutes to just breathe. We’ve all gotten through finals before, and we can all do it again. When your mind is racing and telling you that you can’t do it, it’s wrong. Set it straight by moving your thoughts elsewhere. If you take a few minutes to breathe and calm down, you’ll realize that those negative thought patterns are from the stress rather than reality.

If you need some help centering yourself, Pitt’s University Counseling Center website has audio downloads with breathing exercises that can aid your relaxation. Listen to one when you feel overwhelmed, or even when you don’t feel overwhelmed. It’s easier to think clearly when you’re relaxed, and you’ll be able to attack your work with a sharp mind.

 Get a stress-free hobby

When I say hobby, I use the term loosely. If knitting calms you down, that’s great. If you need to exercise to de-stress, go get ’em. If you just want to see your friends, call them up. But if you want to play video games or watch Netflix, that’s fine too. Find any activity that causes you absolutely no stress — or better, relieves stress — and do it.

The only rule is to not let it interfere with your work. As much as I want to engage in a marathon re-watching of “Downton Abbey,” I know better than to allow that much de-stressing. Instead, set limits to your down time. If you don’t have the time to run 10 miles, run five. If you can’t afford to watch a movie, pick an episode of your favorite show. You get the idea. This is a time to relax, but spending more time than necessary will only lead to more stress once you let work pile up. So de-stress, but do so wisely.

Write it out 

If you’re having a really rough time, write it out. Get a blank sheet of paper, and write down everything that’s causing you any bit of stress — even if it’s that piling-up Hulu queue. Once you’re done, figure out what’s worth resolving. If you can’t change it, it’s not worth it. If it’s not urgent — let’s face it: That Hulu queue can wait until finals are over — it’s not worth it. Cross out what’s not worth worrying over. Once you’re done, your list will be a lot shorter, and you’ll feel a lot better just having jotted it down on paper.

Finally, find ways to eliminate your remaining stressors. If it’s a test, figure out when to study. If it’s a paper, set aside some time to write it. If it’s your annoying significant other, just send them a quick break-up text, and you’re totally free. Even if you won’t be entirely at ease until the end of finals, you’ll at least know what to worry about and, more importantly, what not to worry about.

Make time for fun 

We don’t cease to be social creatures during these last few days of work. There’s still a place for fun, even if it’s slightly modified from your usual binge-drinking-for-three-days weekends. You probably shouldn’t binge drink all week. But everyone needs to make time to be social. If you want to study with friends, that’s ideal. If you want to go out for a drink, do it. Just be responsible. If you’re anything like me, a night of debauchery means a day of being a useless blob of a human being. So think ahead, and don’t go crazy if you need to get a lot of work done the next day.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “I really just don’t have time for fun. I’ve been up for three days straight, and I have a lot of work to do,” then you’re wrong. First of all, everyone should make time to sleep. Sleepy minds do sloppy work. Secondly, going nonstop every day until the end of finals isn’t good for you. You need to make time — even a lunch — for friends, or you’ll be on the bus home for the summer thinking about how much you wish you’d hung out with your friends a little more. And you’ll probably cry. Since nobody wants that to happen, just carve out a little chunk of time, and spend it being happy.

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. You’re ready to face the dark days that lie ahead, and you’re going to be totally great.

Contact Sarah at sarahreagle@gmail.com