It's April, which means that
...which means that its time to start preparing for finals. There are a lot of ways to prepare for finals. I will discuss how to take care of yourself mentally, physically, and academically from now until its time to take your finals.
#1: Mentally
You've probably heard this a million times, but it is important for you not to stress out. If you are stressing out then you are not able to retain information for your finals. Just remember that you are capable of kicking a$$ on your finals. I prefer to take half a night off from studying to just relax. I typically wait until 6pms on Fridays to throw on a face mask, watch a movie I've been dying to watch, and eat cauliflower pizza and Halo Top. Do not study 24/7, but do not justify an hour of studying with five hours of napping. Study 85% of the time and relax for 15% of the time.
Remember that you will learn all this information and you will do well. You are your biggest cheerleader.
#2: Physically
I try to remind myself every day that I need to feel good physically to be able to conquer my exams. I wake up early to go to the gym because I feel better throughout the day if I've been able to work out my stress through some squats. I drink some Emergen-C leading up finals to try to stay sick-free. My boyfriend is a med student and laughs at this because he swears its just a placebo. If I know I will be in the library for long periods, I also pack some apple slices, oranges, or bananas to take with me to help prevent the excuse of being too hungry to study. My newest study snack is cucumbers with salsa.
#3: Academically
Even though I am weeks away from finals, I'm starting to create study guides and flashcards. My goal is to start at fifteen minutes each night to study and keep increasing the time by ten minutes each night. The week before finals I will start studying waaaaay more. But for now I am studying a different subject each night for a little bit so I will not be overwhelmed later. I also like to start studying weeks before finals because I have more time to work on my difficult areas and ask professors for help. More studying now=less stressed later.
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