This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Anthony Guigliano. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Midterm week for the better word of it… is hell. Everyone is in a rush, no one wants to hang out, and even you are struggling in your way. Even during my easier semesters when the midterm week came around everyone was in a stress-filled hustle. Heck, I knew some people who’s professors would be absent and they’d have extended midterm weeks. The point stands that midterm week is a very stressful time for a lot of people.
Within this article, I am going to be going into tactics and calming techniques to help get you through this difficult time. I will be presenting your techniques.
Time Management
Time Management is a very important skill to have. In your average college day, you have stuff you’ve got to do, but during midterm week you’ve got to balance that with all your exams. Not an exactly great time. However, being on top of your time I key to success! If you are studying you should make time for that, but make time to eat, have time to talk to your friend and vent, and go to the bathroom and shower. You should utilize time management to regulate your needs and wants so you can have a healthy balance while as well getting your work and studies done.
Breaks
Like the time management I stated above, breaks are valuable and necessary. Your body needs to rest and being in front of a screen for hours upon hours, and staring into that blue light isn’t just bad for your eyes, it’s bad for your mind and emotions. Constant work isn’t as well going to keep you focused, instead, you’re going to be fixated on how tired you are and all that studying is going to go to waste. How do I know, I tried it before. And it didn’t work. Take a breather, take a break, and work through it. There is a technique that I’ve heard people utilize, which, involves studying for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break. However, keep doing this before you want to trigger a longer break.
Deep Breathing
There have been many times I’ve heard stories of people having breakdowns, meltdowns, and panic attacks. However, it is a wonder what deep breathing can accomplish. It is a universal and simple technique that can stabilize a person to calm their mind and reduce stress. Take slow deep breaths through your nose, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. If you’re employing this I would imagine that you are going through a rough time, so, remember that it’s simple and it’s effective in keeping you composed and helping you reach a measure of calm.
Outside
Being outside is a wonderful tactic and calming technique for getting through the midterm week. Before I mention breaks, take a breath outside! The air outside is going to brush against your skin and make you feel nice, the rays of the sun are going to make you feel warm, and your eyes are going to take in the beauty of life and nature. It would especially be better if where you live or if your campus had natural places that people can go visit. Like parks, natural landmarks, or just places to walk around. It is very easy to go outside, and if you’re feeling super stressed and want to keep on the move you can even ask a friend to come to aid you on a walk, and heck, it may do both of you good.
Exercise
Exercise is a good technique to reduce stress. Lifting weights and running are excellent ways to distract yourself from stress and do something greatly productive for your body and health. It will increase your mental health, increase your perception of yourself, and put you in a better place.
How do you manage stress during finals week? Let us know in the comments!
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