As midterms start, so do the sleepless nights, long hours of staring into a laptop, late night pizza, and flipping through months of readings that have piled up. Not to mention keeping up with extra-curricular activities, volunteering and part-time jobs. This leads to mounting stress as students start a balancing act with academics and other activities all while midterm dates draw closer. For some students, the stress and pressure become too much to handle and so they are forced to resort to various negative, distracting and counter-productive activities such as smoking, drinking and none other than: Netflix. However, these activities provide short-term solace from midterms and in turn can result in higher levels of stress as students begin to realize the valuable time lost and begin saying things like “If only I had more time….”.
Some students have heard far too often about the list of things they should do in order to remain stress-free during midterms such as keeping up with schoolwork from the start of the academic year, sleeping well, and exercising. However, for some students, these can be incredibly hard to incorporate into their lifestyle for multiple reasons such as financial inability, time-constraints or simply a matter of preference. Provided below is a list of ways to decrease the stress associated with undergraduate life, particularly during midterms:
EAT RIGHT
While this is easier said than done, there are many food choices students can make that will reduce their stress levels during midterms. It is important to eat vegetables, nuts and dairy products that are considered brain food. Another important note is replacing your caffeinated drinks with green tea, a drink that has been found to have calming effects. All of these are undoubtedly available on your campus, whether it is a garden salad from Tim Hortons, green tea from Starbucks, or fruits and yogurt from the fresh-food stand.
SLEEP WELL
Sleep begins to feel like a luxury for some students as midterms draw near and many resort to all-nighters in an effort to complete readings or finish their notes. This, however, has a profound negative impact on our brain. While some students still find it hard to sleep unless they feel prepared for an exam, it is crucial to nap frequently to re-energize the brain.
EXERCISE
For some students, exercising is a great stress reliever with cardio, weights or a fitness class being a regular part of their day while for others it seems like a task sent from hell. For those of us who cannot imagine a world where they could possibly enjoy a trip to the gym, a walk about campus once in a while is equally effective. Not only is the change in scenery soothing but getting our blood pumping to the brain can also have positive effects on our ability to study for long periods of time.
WRITE IT DOWN
Usually our stress is related to feeling mentally bogged down with the amplitude of work and tasks awaiting us. A helpful tool in these times is a notebook and a pen. Simply writing down the various tasks associated with our various commitments can help us organize our thoughts, prioritize tasks based on deadlines and remove the illusion of being a cobweb of tasks that can neither be started nor finished.
STAY POSITIVE
Quite often, students get bogged down with competitiveness and begin comparing their abilities with those of other students and feel an added pressure to do better. While a little healthy competition never hurt anybody, it is vital to stay positive despite results and focus on ourselves more than others. Writing positive sticky notes on our laptop, in our notebooks and on our corkboard can remind us to stay positive despite the tough times.
CHAT WITH COMPANIONS
Usually students isolate themselves as they begin studying for midterms and find it hard to make time to socialize with family and friends. However, talking about things that are causing us stress in life can reduce it and quite often help you put things in perspective. Stress has a profound effect on our mental health and talking to trusted family members and friends may prove to be more helpful than not.
REWARD YOURSELF
At times, students lose a drive to continue studying for midterms and do well in school as a result of stress. Implementing a reward system at this point may prove to be very effective in pushing us to study. Having something to look forward to such as a day off for dinner plans, movie plans or simply relaxing in bed can drive us to do better and push through the stress associated with midterms.
PLAY WITH ANIMALS
Who can refuse to pet an adorable puppy particularly if studies have shown that animal interaction decreases stress levels in humans. Some campuses have a Dog Therapy day where puppies are on campus to help students destress so make sure to take advantage of that.
MEDITATION
Many students have heard of the benefits of meditating but are not aware of how to do it. A quick YouTube video shows us that it is simply a matter of sitting down in a comfortable position, closing your eyes and clearing your mind as best as possible. While some students may be skeptical of the research supporting the benefits of meditation, having a moment to yourself for some self-reflection can prove to be helpful during stressful times.
By Nedda Rahim
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
