Midterm Mania! 3 Easy Ways to Stay Sane & Relaxed During Exam Week
It’s midterm time! It’s that awful week (or few weeks) during the middle of the semester when all you want to do is homework for every other class but instead you’re pulling out your hair studying every night. Yikes!
Here are some of my tips for managing your stress during this crazy week.
1. Schedule your time wisely.
Yes, I know that Gossip Girl and So You Think You Can Dance are awesome, but they are incredibly distracting. When you’re stressed out, sometimes you need a game plan to keep you on track (and away from that TV remote).
Right before you go to bed, make a schedule of how you need to use your time the next day, including class, homework, studying, reading, and basic stuff like showers and meals. This will give you a good benchmark of what time you need to get up in the morning, and if you follow it, you won’t need to be up until 3am every night.
2. Find time for mini-indulgences.
When I’m stressed out, I let a lot of things go by the wayside (eye makeup lasts for a couple days, ponytails become my new go-to hairdo). But in order to remind myself that the outside world doesn’t care about my tests, I schedule little indulgences into my day.
Sometimes they are as simple as lighting a teensy tea-light candle while studying (there are equally relaxing flameless Glade faux-candles you can try if your RA is a stickler about fire hazards).
My favorite indulgence is to use a deliciously fruity body scrub in the shower. It’s a step that I don’t do every day, and it helps me get ready to focus as I’m sitting down to study. My favorite body scrub is the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub–it smells like sweet citrus-y margaritas and uses essential oils that leave your skin feeling hydrated!
3. Fake your own facial.
A DIY mini facial is one of my favorite beauty cheats for cheap, time-pressed students.
First, heat up water for some tea in a hot pot or a saucepan. Pour the water into your mug to cover the teabags, and let your face hover over the remaining water in the bottom of your pot. The steamy mini-facial opens up your pores and puts some color back into your cheeks (so nobody will know this is your 5th hour studying)!
Next, make your tea strong with two teabags. Once you’ve let the tea steep, take the teabags out before adding in milk/sugar/lemon and let them sit and cool on a plate or paper towel. Once you’ve been studying for a while, reward yourself by laying down on your bed and laying the teabags gently on your eyelids. This will perk up tired eyes and it gives you a built-in study break, too!
How do you deal with stress?
What’s your strategy for dealing with stress? What’s your favorite way to unwind after a long day of studying? Tell us in the comments!
Posted on on October 7, 2009 / Filed Under: College Life / Tags: College Life, Exams, midterms, Stress, tests
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Jess
This is a great post. I feel that it is necessary to schedule your day during stressful times.
What I usually do is yoga or meditate for at least 30 minutes so I can relax. It really helps me, so I think everyone should at least try it and see if it works for you.
Alana @ The Comm Ave Strut
Might I suggest making some delicious muffins? The smell of fresh baked muffins is definitely good for de-stressing. Just don’t eat them all in 1 day (I made a batch yesterday, my roommates and I devoured them in less than 12 hours). I used this recipe that I adapted from something I found online: http://sprng.me/csn
Alana
the citrus body wash is great–citrus is supposed to energize you and keep your mind alert for studying and tests so that could be why it’s such a go to for you…and thanks for the article! so far my study habits have included a qua-venti latte and no sleep, so i will definately be trying some of these more relaxing methods lol
Reneé
Heyy it’s a very useful article !
For me planning is very important to reduce stress, when you do to-do lists everyday u don’t freak out because you dont know what to do when. Also i love warm scents like vanilla it really helps me calm down and relax :) vanilla body splashes are great<3
Lastly dressing up, doing your hair and make-up is the best thing a girl can do to get out of stress, we all know that :))
Jennifer
Midterms last from the beginning of October to nearly the beginning of December here, which makes the next two months a stressful time. Personally I like to take a break from the studying to go and just chat out the stress with some friends, and maybe watch a movie or something together on a Friday night, when everyone will be studying for the rest of the weekend.
Becky
this post is definitely helpful for me right now. i’ve never been more stressed around midterms before! i do suggest squeezing in time for hte favorite shows, because working all the time will burn you out. and take time to exercise as well to clear your head…if you don’t mind me asking, how did you get involved with this site? i’m trying to figure what to do with my english major when i graduate and this really appeals to me. thanks girl!
Iris
Fun article! Stress is definitely unbecoming on your face. Along with these tips, I also make sure to do a 5 minute meditation in the morning and before I go to sleep, there is a reason why zen monks look so young :D
P.S. I love that you’re from Barnard College; that happens to be my dream college.
Valeria
Love it! :D
I’m studying for becoming an odonthologyst and I have 4 “mini” tests every week!! (I say “mini” because it’s supposed to be small, but you have to study a lot anyway) Not to mention the big tests… it’s awful =P So I’ll try this.
I schedule my week, not everyday, and one thing I always schedule is some time to spend with my mom (we like to watch House Md =P), some time with my boyfriend (we study together, so it’s not like I need a special time for him), some time for myself (even some long makeup time works) and of course, my time for study everyday. I also, keep saturdays study-free, so I usually spend it with friends or my boyfriend.
It has worked well for me, but I’ll definately try the second and third tip! :D Thanks a lot!
Luinae
I always make sure I practice dance- not only is it important because I am trying to go competative, but also because it helps me relieve stress. Great tips!
Penelope
Wow, thanks so much! I’ve always wondered how to perk my face up under time constraints.
Cara
The tea facial sounds like a wonderful idea! I ill have to try that, because I often like to make an unusual tea to have while I’m studying. I am also with the girls who incorporate short breaks for physical activity – there is a small ballet studio in the basement of my dorm, and I use it to full advantage when I can no longer sit still and focus for one more second. I find it much more beneficial than adding scads of new Flair on FB :P
Margo
I love this post!!! I try to even out my studying time with stretch breaks and trips to the gym. I also resort to eye serum (the one that hides dark circles) for when I am really stressed out– so then it is not that apparent that I am really tired. I have a huge TIME MANAGEMENT PROBLEM—so planning makes a huge difference!
As the last post mentioned: I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO STRESS HOW ESSENTIAL TURNING OF THE WEB BROWSER IS. I mean fml and mdt, and fb are awesome, but really they’re not worth looking at when really stressed.
Brenda
Great post!!
As my school is on a quarter system, we have Winter 2010 class finals next week and i’ve been going crazy with the stress, but here are some good tips to relieve them
* Spending a little extra time doing your makeup in the morning while listening to some calming music sets you in the “it’s time to study” mood plus you’ll know you look great
*Have a special treat for breakfast like a chocolate croissant to put you in good mood before you buckle down
*Schedule your events and times to study, but still add a few fun things like a movie or a massage
*Yoga is also a big thing for me because not only does it get/keep you in shape, but it totally mellows your mood
also, remember to breathe, i know that can be a tricky one to remember when those tests start to loom over your head =)