As we return to school after the Thanksgiving break things start to get stressful. Teachers will be working you extra hard to prepare you for finals. Your parents will be 'encouraging' you to spend more time preparing for those exams in a few weeks time....and the festive social scene will soon be in full swing.
You know from your studies about mental health that it is normal to feel stressed, and in fact you can even use stress in a positive way and use it to motivate you to start your exam preparations early.
My top 5 suggestions to help you survive the madness of Finals would be:
- Start planning your study guides as early as possible. Make a plan of times that you will devote to study, AND times that you will devote to non-academic activities. Perhaps even prioritize your subjects. If you are not doing so well in a certain subject perhaps you will need to spend more time reading through those notes.
- DON'T overstudy. It is important that you put those books down and exercise, do some sport, socialise, reflect at church or go and watch the Carmel athletes performing this season.
- Share your stress! Let your parents or teachers know if things are starting to get on top of you. Talk to your friends - are they coping? Remember, if the stress starts to get out of hand then you can always speak with Mrs Carlson.
- Get some sleep. Shut those books AND turn off the computer (yes that means Facebook) at least an hour before you go to bed. Listen to some music, practice relaxation techniques or drink some herbal tea. It's important that you get into a routine which means getting sufficient sleep.
- Eat a breakfast containing complex carbohydrates. Slow burning fuels like oatmeal will ensure that you are alert throughout the day. Oh, and lay off the caffeine. You can treat yourself to a Starbucks once the exams are over.
Remember, finals aren't everything. They will soon be over and you will be able to get back to being you.
If you have any comments about the above then please post a reply. Do you suffer from stress, or do you have any tips that work for you? Let me know.
Getting enough sleep is the most important. it starts there. then eating oatmeal is the best meal it will keep you full and focused.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely agree with all of your suggestions because we as students all experience them not only for finals but for huge tests as well. As I was reading the first suggestion, I went back to think that teachers don't even give you their study guides or materials you need to know for the final until pretty much the day before. It is really hard for us to start planning ahead when we don't even know what were supposed to be studying. Sometimes teachers just need to be put in their students shoes for a day. It's not fair to us! We need to be healthy!
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