Finishing the semester with yourself in mind

For me, and I’m sure for many of my classmates, this semester has plowed forward with all the grace and poise of a U-Haul truck. We’re approaching the end, but I still feel like I’ve barely even begun, and I know that there’s a pile of work waiting for me at the end of every remaining day. It is undeniably difficult to keep up with, and incredibly easy to be overwhelmed by.

This is my sixth semester at ASU now, and with each one that passes, I expect myself to be better at handling the stress of classwork and finals. It’s only in these last few months that I’ve really identified the true source of my stress as finals season approaches. It’s not just my classes, it’s the way I plan for finals season as a whole.

See, I’m a planning kind of person. I like having a schedule and a to-do list. And those tools can be excellent things. If you’re the kind of person who gets easily overwhelmed by tasks, setting a plan in motion and executing it can make coursework much easier to handle.

The issue comes in when we try to stick to a schedule that is so strict or tightly packed that we have no space for something to go wrong or be moved around at all. There’s only so much we as students can do about this; we have classes to attend, after all, and those can’t be rescheduled or moved. I would, however, encourage students to take a mental health day when they feel it's necessary. Sometimes, that is the best thing that you can do for yourself.

That said, one of the other big things you can do for yourself as we approach finals season is give yourself time for necessary mental and emotional breaks. We have the tendency to schedule ourselves with study sessions, project planning, and homework assignments so thoroughly that there is no time for anything else.

There are occasions where it feels like you have no choice but to plan your schedule like that. How else would we be able to complete the two hours of studying we need to do for each of our exams on top of the three hours of project work, all of which need to be completed by tonight? It feels like pushing a boulder up a hill, often to the point where advice about getting enough sleep feels almost mocking.

That said, the unfortunate truth is that sleeping, exercising, and eating properly are the only way you're going to survive this semester, you have to give yourself time to work them into your life.

Committing to self-care while also committing to studying and doing well academically come into conflict all the time, so here are a few tips to keep them in balance in your life:

• Don’t study through meals! Use lunch and dinner as a way to give yourself a quick self-care break. Eat a good meal with your friends or roommates, and give yourself some time away from studying before you get back to work.
• Fill up a water bottle as soon as you start working. Make sure to drink from it regularly. This helps prevent headaches and give you a good brain break opportunity when you inevitably run out.
• Try to take a little bit of time to exercise a few times a week. This won’t just benefit you physically, but exercise has also been shown to benefit sleep, leading to you being better rested for your academics!
• Sleep makes everything a little easier. It’s always better to get some rest than attempt to cram a few hours worth of material into your tired brain, so instead of studying late and waking up right before an exam, try going to bed early and reviewing your study materials in the morning.

It’s the little things that make all the difference when it comes to self-care. Giving yourself the opportunity to succeed by taking care of your body is the first step towards finishing the semester strong!

Claire van Doren
Junior, English Literature and Journalism