As you may know, it's final exam season. With this part of the year, comes the mixed feelings of excitement for Christmas but simultaneous dread at the idea of
FINAL EXAM DOOM. I personally am a graduating student as of next semester...so no it really isn't "The Most Wonderful Time of The Year", Andy Williams.
Here are my sister's and mine graduating photos from a couple of weeks ago, taken by our amazing friend and photographer, Ida Blychert:
However, you first think:
Ok, she's in her final year. She looks happy in these photos, she's got her life figured out. If you assumed this, trust me when I say, HECK to the no. I still find I easily slip into this tornado of negativity and stress once it hits me how close the semester is coming to an end. In fact, I may or may not have had a little cry in bed from sheer stress and self-pressure as recently as a week ago. So trust me when I say, we ALL go through it, and it's never easy. Having said that, I do still want to assure you that it does get better. I find that I was in a terrible mind-set, stressing about my four finals crammed into one single week, and feeling absolutely hopeless. But, after a little pep-talk from my sister, it all suddenly clicked inside my head that I really needed to change the way I thought about finals, and inspired me to write this blogpost.
So without further adieu, here is my little recipe on how to stay positive and hopefully succeed on your final exams (although don't get me wrong, the very obvious step is to study, study, study!)
1) Stop thinking of how much you have to do, and just do it.
I find this one is honestly a lot easier said than done. We all write little study schedules, to-do lists and check-lists for ourselves...which is great! HOWEVER, although you might find it satisfying to check off that big scary item, it can also backfire and stress you out if you don't complete it.
This literally happens to me EVERY year: I make a study schedule, fall a little behind, and then freak out because that count-down to that super hard final is going down, time is ticking away and away, and *cue the negative stress spiral of finals doom here*
So, how do we get out of this negative mind-set?
2) Keep your goals SIMPLE.
This one is really important. Often I find I write a goal from each subject, but it's unrealistic time-wise (and brain-power wise!) to complete in a day of studying. Instead, write small, silly things that you wouldn't normally think is an "exam to-do list" item for yourself! Little things like: "Wash your hair" or "Have a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha" (yes, that is my Christmas-in-a-cup drink), or even "Go for a walk outside". This way, not only are these enjoyable things to do, you ACTUALLY complete them, and feel happy about yourself. You can make realistic academic goals for yourself to earn these little fun to-do's. For example, "read 15 pages of my reading" before getting that delicious coffee, or "make study notes on the lecture about horse physiology" before going to clean or tidy your room while listening to some music. This way, you're incentivizing yourself to do the work before the little fun thing. And if you feel super concentrated on your studying, keep going until you hit a wall!
3) Take 10 minute breaks.
This has actual scientific evidence to support it - your brain is going to be a lot happier and functional studying INTENSIVELY for an hour or two, and then, for example, going downstairs to have a cup of tea while listening to that one song you're really enjoying at the moment. For me, it's Christmas season! Michael Buble's Christmas album is definitely my #1, but truth be told, anything Christmas-related is definitely 3 minutes of happiness in a song. Or maybe you love drawing and begin to doodle on your page where your study notes should be. Do it! Find what makes you smile and feel relaxed, even if it's just for 15 minutes! You will be so much more productive in the long run.
4) Change your environment.
I find sometimes that if I'm on the quiet floor of the cubicles for too long, I get restless and in
desperate need of a change. Sometimes a quick walk to a different part of the library or even a different building (in which case, you can also stretch you legs a bit and enjoy the outdoor fresh air!) can really help me to stay motivated and focused once I resume studying.
5) Change subjects.
Now this one can kind of depend on your situation, since if it's the day before your important final exam, you're going to want to focus on that subject all day. But in my case, I have 4 exams in one week, in pretty close proximity to each other. So I really don't have a choice but to constantly change subjects and ensure I'm studying for all of them. And I'm saying this because it's true - it's actually nice to change subjects, especially if they're also pretty different. Maybe you have a take-home essay you have to do by Friday but also a bunch of readings from your psychology class on brain cognition. Make that change once you get tired of one, it honestly makes all the difference and keeps your brain pretty stimulated.
6) Sleep, sleep, sleep!
I know that nights are long and all-nighters are possible with coffee - I've pushed myself hard in the past to get through all the material for a course. But honestly, sometimes it's so much better to just say to yourself "Ok, enough is enough for today. Let's go to sleep and start again tomorrow." 8 hours of sleep for me is the sweet spot for amount of sleep, so whether you're a night-owl or an early bird, just make sure you set that alarm in 8 hours, and I guarantee you that the next morning you will feel refreshed, recuperated and ready to tackle another intense day of studying!
And lastly but in my opinion MOST importantly,
6) Attitude really IS everything.
Trust me when I say that if I've been thinking over and over about how stressed I am, or how unprepared I am for the final, eventually something in my head will click with this statement, and I indeed will perform miserably. Even quizzes that I had this semester made me a bit anxious the morning of, and as I crammed and pored over my notes in a hasty, stress-inducing way, I ended up still doing quite lousy. You HAVE to be positive. Look in the mirror before you leave your house and say "Hey, me. I can DO this. I'm going to ace this test, because I know my stuff, and no matter what....Christmas is one day closer!"
Or you can gain a sense of perspective, like my histology professor, who pep-talked us on our last lecture:
"Try your best. Maybe you want a better mark in this course than you have right now. But remember that if you don't, it's also going to be ok. The sun will still rise, it will still set, and in a hundred years, we'll all be dead anyway."
I hope this little recipe makes you feel just a teeny bit better. Or maybe you used this blogpost as a procrastination method, in which case, BACK TO STUDYING WE GO!
-Veronika
I am currently on vacation with my family and although it's absolutely splendid to be in full-blown vacation mode, it is particularly HOT. 
