Let’s face it: finals week is notorious for being the most stressful week in a college semester. Everyone’s scrambling to get their stuff turned in, or cramping in all the information they can before an exam. The finish line is on the other side– it’s all up to your final to make or break your final grade. Fear not my friends: stress during finals week can become manageable if you follow these five tips based on research and my own experience!
Get Fresh Air
Yes you heard that right! Get out of that rat hole of a room and go outside and touch some grass! On a more serious note, you don’t have to go on a whole hike to get the fresh air you need. Even stepping outside for one minute and appreciating nature can do a lot for you! According to a UC Davis Health blog post “ 3 Ways Getting Outside Into Nature Helps Improve Your Health”, “Being outdoors can also have relaxing effects on our minds. Nature can provide a mental break by allowing us to temporarily escape the demands of everyday life. It can also boost your creativity and problem-solving abilities,” (2023). Studying outside is also a great way to get some fresh air! You don’t always have to be inside and studying (unless of course the weather is bad). In my personal experience, studying outside has been a great experience. You get away from everything and everyone, and embrace nature while getting stuff done. Prairie State College has a forest preserve walk that is available to everyone! Grab a friend or two and put some miles on those steps!
Practice Self-Care
I get it– sometimes we lose ourselves when the stress gets the best of us. However, it’s important to remember that we need to put ourselves first before anything else. It can be hard at first, but I promise you nothing is and will never be more important than your well being. Whether you believe it or not, things such as eating, unplugging from social media, setting boundaries, and exercising are very important and helpful.
Snacks To Go
Eating (especially healthy foods) can help boost your energy and help you conquer your day! Make sure to pack some snacks with you while studying, you can’t get anything done on an empty stomach! It is ideal to consume snacks that are rich in omega-3, fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. According to a Harvard Medical School blog post “Foods linked to better brain power,” “Research shows that the best brain foods are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels, which includes the following: green, leafy vegetables (i.e. kale or spinach), fatty fish (low in mercury such as Salmon or cod), berries, tea and coffee, and walnuts,” (2024). It is also important as well that you are not skipping meals! Skipping meals can actually cause your metabolism to slow down, which can lead to weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
Phone On The Counter…NOW
Unplugging from social media can be quite effective when trying to study. Social media itself can be stressful at times to be frank. I myself had to step away from social media a couple of times because it’s just a complex world. I also find myself becoming way too distracted and I can’t get any work done. I will be honest, there have been times where I want to take a quick 15-20 minute break from studying and BOOM– next thing I know, an hour goes by. Setting boundaries is another effective way to practice self-care. Setting boundaries is very important because in a way, it helps you prioritize your tasks. Sometimes however, it can be hard to set boundaries. Your friends want to go out, there’s an extra credit assignment, you have homework to catch up on, and you have a job under your belt. Although it is tempting to go out with friends, if you know you have things to take care of school wise, it might be best to save those plans for later. It’s best to hold off on your plans with friends especially if you know you will not do your work beforehand (or even after coming back from said plans).
No Pain, No Gain
Exercising not only helps you with your health physically, but it also helps with your mental health. According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2025), “Exercise is a natural form of antidepressant. It releases endorphins that help promote a positive mood, increases focus and helps reduce stress,” (2025). If you ever need to blow off any steam, Prairie State College has their very own fitness center. You can lift some weights, or namaste your way into the yoga/spinning studio! The fitness center is free for current students at Prairie State College.
Parker’s Den
At the Prairie State College library, Parker’s Den was recently added earlier this semester. Parker’s Den is basically a place where you can relax and chill out. In Parker’s Den, they have bean bag chairs, rocking chairs, a little area to sit and work on homework, and several bins full of fidget toys to play with!
Sleep Well
I’m pretty sure this one is quite obvious, but sleep, sleep, SLEEP! According to Rachel O’Conner “Sleep has a very strong relationship with stress. Stress can lead to insomnia, and lack of sleep can increase stress levels”. According to Mayo Clinic, Adults should be getting 7 or more hours of sleep every night, (2025). According to Mayo Clinic (2025), “For adults, getting less than seven hours of sleep a night on a regular basis has been linked with poor health, including weight gain, having a body mass index of 30 or higher, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and depression,” (2025). You heard it there folks, catch those z’s! You may not feel it at times, but eventually the lack of sleep will catch up to you.
Talk To Someone
This one might actually be one of the harder ones to achieve. I myself struggle at times to open up. In the past, it was always hard for me to open up because I didn’t want to worry my loved ones nor be a burden. I always tried to solve my problems on my own, and would only open up when things got really bad. When in reality, had I opened up sooner, the problem wouldn’t have been as bad as how I made it. For some people, it can be hard to open up because they don’t want to come off as weak, but the outcome will be the opposite. People will see you as a brave and courageous person because having the willpower to seek help by yourself is a big step. It is also important to remember that it’s okay to ask for help! I myself learned that the hard way, but one day at a time, it will get better! If you ever need to talk to someone confidentially at PSC about your well-being, PSC has a personal counselor! Shannon Word is a licensed personal mental health counselor at PSC and can be reached by her email [email protected] or by phone at (708)709-3511.
Time Management
Time management is a big deal for pretty much everything you do in life. I myself am a HUGE procrastinator! I save a lot of stuff to do at the last minute and I am rushing to finish everything up. When in reality a lot of the time I could’ve submitted a lot of assignments earlier before the deadline. Which brings me to my first point: if you can, look over your assignments and see when the deadlines are. If you have multiple assignments with the same deadline, it would be best to get those taken care of first. Within those assignments due at the same time, try to knock out the easier ones so that the harder the assignment is, the more time you can dedicate to it without having other work to worry about. If you have certain assignments as well that can be turned in before the deadline, work on those next. Getting a planner as well and jotting down what needs to be done on certain days can be helpful as well! This will help you especially in the long run before and after finals!
Pomodoro Technique
Another way to help with your time management is to try the pomodoro technique! The pomodoro technique works best for creative thinkers and people who feel burnt out from school/work. It’s actually quite simple to try the pomodoro technique, all it takes is these six steps:
- Choose a task you need to get done.
- Set a timer (for about 25 mins).
- Focus on the task for the whole time you set the timer.
- When the timer rings, put a checkmark on a piece of paper.
- Take a short break: Take a break for about three to five minutes. Go for a walk, grab a cup of coffee, do something non-work-related to give your brain a break.
- Repeat steps two to five: Once you have completed this process four times, you can begin to take longer breaks (20–30 mins).
