The first semester of the 2021-2022 school year is coming to an end, which means exams are approaching. With a little over a week to prepare, it can be extremely stressful. How are we all going to survive finals without Quizlet?!

First, you have to calm down. Being stressed isn’t good for studying. Taking it one day at a time and studying when you can is the first step to being successful on your exams.

Destressing can be hard to do, especially with everything happening so fast. Knowing how to destress is the first step. The University of Michigan Health has some amazing tips and tricks on how to do this.

The first step is to relax the mind. To do this, take slow, deep breaths; take a warm bath; listen to soothing music; meditate; write and just simply let your mind wonder. Your mind needs a break. Give your brain time to catch up with everything that’s happening. 

Your mind is the thing that needs to be the most functional during exams. Give your brain a break during your downtime in order for it to work at full capacity when you need it to.

Once you have relaxed your mind, it is time to relax your body. Having tense muscles is never a good thing, but especially during exams. If you are in pain, that is all your body is going to focus on, so we need to relax our bodies.

Some good ways to relax your body are to do yoga, muscle relaxation techniques, take a walk, get a massage, and have a warm drink without caffeine in it. Taking care of your body is always important, and we tend to neglect it in times of stress. Destressing our bodies can help with overall stress as well.

Now that you are relaxed, it is time to study. Studying can be difficult because of all of the class and content you have to cover. The University of St. Augustine has some helpful tips for studying.

Start with setting yourself up for success. Get lots of rest, take away all distractions, eat right, and set yourself in an environment where you can study well (so probably not on your bed).

Once you’ve taken these steps, then start the actual studying process. Skim, don’t read, your chapters. Take notes on important things that you see or might need to know. If there is a study guide provided for you, use it!

Once you have skimmed over everything and got all the information you think you need, then start questioning it. Do you really need it? Do you need more information? Take those questions and then start looking even further for answers.

Summarizing and reviewing are the final steps in the studying process. You now know everything that you need to know, so summarize it into things that you will remember for the exam. Once you’ve done that, then review what you did and make sure you know it.

Exams are stressful, but we can do this Lakers! Destressing and studying doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it seem. Make time for yourself and focus on your mental health during this time. It will all be over before you know it! Good luck!

See the University of Michigan’s and University of St. Augustine’s articles here for more relaxation tips below;

University of Michigan: https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2209\ 

University of St. Augustine: https://www.usa.edu/blog/study-techniques/