5 Healthy ways to deal with stress, finals, and college

I am finally posting, sorry I have been a bit off I was super busy with finals and then from not taking care of myself during finals week I was in the hospital with a bladder infection. Now that I am on winter break and have relaxed for a week back home I am back to my normal posting days. So due to my stressful experience with finals (ended the semester with great grades though) here is a little article I wrote on staying healthy and managing stress. ENJOY! 

5 healthy ways to deal with stress, finals, and college.

If you’re in college, stress can be a lot to deal with, some days you have 2 papers, an exam, and 3 presentations all in the same week. Now you add finals and studying to the mix, next thing you know you find yourself staying up all night, overloading on caffeine, and eating all kinds of quick and easy fast food. You can run into some serious health problems if you don’t take care of yourself. Here’s some ways you can keep a handle on your mental health and physical health.

1.      Get Enough Sleep

It’s easy, almost normal for college students to pull all-nighters especially during finals week. Next thing you know, you’ve been up since 4 am and you are up getting ready for you 8 am only having a few ours of sleep under your belt. According to The National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute (NIH), sleep helps your brain work properly. While you’re asleep your brain is preparing for the next day. So, getting no sleep defeats the purpose, if you really think about it. While getting enough rest is important for mental health it is also important when it comes to physical health, NIH states sleep is involved with healing and repair. Not getting enough sleep can disrupt natural bodily functions meant to heal.

2.      Eat well

Fast, easy, and cheap food is always a plus, so places like Taco Bell, McDonalds, or ordering a pizza really quick to your dorm room seems like a good route especially when you are spending majority of your night in a library typing that final paper or, studying for a final exam. NIH states, eating unhealthy and un-nutritional food can actually make you more tired. Some good brain foods that help boost memory and keep you focused: blueberries, peanuts and seeds, avocados, celery and, dark chocolate.   

3.      Stay Hydrated

This is a huge one! It is easy to overload on caffeine during finals trying to stay awake but, chugging down some water is the best way to go or non-sugar filled beverages. Dehydration can lead to, loss in concentration and negatively affects your cognitive abilities. Excessive amounts of caffeine, can change your blood levels and actually make you more tired. Best way to stay hydrated is to bring a reusable water bottle wherever you go and fill it regularly. Long night in the library? Have a water bottle ready to fill. If you are one to not enjoy drinking water to much add a little fruit like a lemon or some strawberries for flavor! (Take the Bottle Back 2012).

4.      Take a break!

Now I know this easier said than done ESPECIALLY during finals week but, taking a quick 30-35-minute break in between studying can go a long way.  Overloading your brain with information will get you nowhere. A good study tip that has worked tremendously for myself: study before bed! Go over that study guide for another 30 minutes before bed WITHOUT looking at your phone after and go straight to sleep I’ve found I retain a lot more information that way.

5.      Keep your space organized

List making is a good way to stay organized a somewhat stress free when you know what you have to do and how much time you have to do it. The key to this is making sure you don’t overload! In other words, time management is key, don’t procrastinate on things making your to-do list longer than necessary having more to do in such little time. Keeping your workspace organized is a good way to remain stress free, when everything is cluttered and all over the place it is easy to get a bit overwhelmed it is always good to keep things in order.

Remaining healthy and stress free is the key to success especially in college! While this can be extremely hard sometimes especially, during finals week so here a some tips on how to stay healthy and worry a little less!