FINALS WEEK!! 5 Tips To Survive!

Hello everyone!! It has been finals preparations for a couple of weeks now, and I'm sure the exhaustion is starting to wear and tear on our bodies and minds by now.

Story of our lives....

 So as an experienced Junior about to go into round 6 of finals (OMG I'M SOOOO OLD!), here are the top 5 tips for avoiding tearful breakdowns in the middle of class!

1. BREATHE!!! Yes there will be times where you may just want to quit and go back to bed and wake up next week, but this is the once a semester FIT ritual that is meant to really prepare you for the real world. Breathing has been proven to help you in the most stressful situations, so take a few deep breaths, let the blood flow slow, get some oxygen to the brain and create a finals week plan to map out your week.
2. DON'T STRESS EAT!! If there is one way to add to your stressful situation, it is to eat, and I know this from experiences I've had with all my roommates. Do not head to the fridge at 1AM to get a "quick snack" because one snack turns into a whole bag of chips with hummus! Instead grab a glass of water, or protein-rich light soy milk and avoid the calorie build up. Otherwise you won't be able to stop thinking about how much you just ate and how awful a person you are for eating all that....
3. TAKE (SHORT) NAPS!! It has been proven that taking naps of 20-30 minutes through your day will increase your energy level and focus level enough to where it can make a significant difference in your test scores. However if you go over the 30ish minute mark, guess what, you'll end up more tired than you started and may even sleep through your test....
4. TAKE A BREAK!! After 5 hours of library time, your mind needs a break! Now that doesn't mean go watch a movie or go to the club, some successful things that continue to work for a few people I know is to go to the gym for an hour. Go take a run, or some yoga, and have a light fruit snack to get your energy level back up. Your brain needs that rest as much as you think it does in between study sessions.
5. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!! AKA, plan ahead. While this is the most obvious step, we all know life changes course in an instant. However, you will be much more adaptable to anything thrown your way if you have an original plan of action. So set up study times at certain hours and try your hardest to make them happen. Set them earlier in case of delay, and before you know it you'll be getting the 7 hours of sleep we all wish we could get!!

So good luck with Finals to you all and I cannot wait to hear some of the horror and success stories of the week!! Send me any stories that you'd like to share!!