Finals are quickly approaching. This means stress for most students, and even faculty.
There are so many things that are easy to stress over, from exams to projects. Balancing work, school, and a personal life can be challenging for students.
Sheri Staudinger, SFCC’s wellness coordinator, says that it is so important to “breathe, breathe, breathe” when going into a test.
“It is common for us to hold our breath or breathe erratically,” Staudinger said.“Once you take a deep breath in and let the breath out slowly, your mind will start to organize your thoughts as well as quiet them.”
Another thing that is important for stress management is to calm down an hour before the test. Put away all electronics and focus on clearing your mind, preparing it and your body for the test. Meditation also helps, completely clearing your brain of everything that is stressing you out, it may sound hard, but it will help a lot. Staudinger gives some meditating advice saying “just sit quietly in stillness and breathe deeply slowly for as little as 5 minutes before studying and just before the test.”
Staudinger says self image is another detail that needs to be addressed before the test. If you failed your last test and are now worried it will happen again, those thoughts need to be cleared out and replaced with positive ones.
A Buzzfeed article, “27 ways to make it through finals in one week,” by Yi Yang says to stay hydrated and Staudinger agrees, saying it’s important to “hydrate with water not caffeine, sugar drinks or high protein.”
The article goes on to encourage, drinking lots of tea, blocking out classmates (or roommates) with headphones and a good night’s sleep will help achieve a higher grade.
Buzzfeed also suggests that “having a box of snack bars on hand in case your brain or stomach needs nourishment” while studying and take a break to workout and clear your mind occasionally as ways to stay focused for exams.
Staudinger says that “the less stressed you are before a test, the more likely you are to get a better grade.” However Michaela Rubin, a student at SFCC, doesn’t agree. She “sits in the stress until the final is over”, and studies the night before. She makes sure to go to bed early so she “wakes up refreshed and ready to go.”
With all these tips and tricks, it should be easy to go out there and crush that final! Staudinger gives SFCC students one more reminder:
“Breathe, water, rest … repeat continually for your whole life.”