Sunday, March 18, 2012

Dead/Final Week Stress Management and Study Tips

I have been SO busy, and I am VERY behind on updating blog. Good news is that I got a full-time job. Bad news is that I am still taking a couple of classes, and finals are next week. When do I have time for blogging? This post is about the ways to deal stress and tips to study. 

1. Take a Shower: It is a great way to get refresh.  Dead week and final week are super stressful. Even only ten minutes of showering can reduce a lot of stress. When I feel tired after studying and/or working for so long, I usually take a shower and come back to study. My brain works better on that way.

2. Eat Healthily: I know people don't have time to cook or even eat during the dead and final week, so a lot of college students tend to eat snacks as meal or get fast food. PLEASE DO NOT. I am not asking anyone to take time cooking healthy food during those weeks, but making some simple comfort food would not take long time. Remember to eat breakfast before test at least a slice of fruit.

3. Find a Way to Express Your Stress: When you had a bad day, it's better to let others know that your day wasn't right. There is no need to hide it. Let it out is good. There are a lot of ways to express stress. The common way I see is to just Facebook it. Some people have concerns for facebooking their problems, but I think it is OK. If you don't want someone to know, you can express it by journalizing. I do it sometimes. 

4. Only Study in a Place without Distraction for a Few Hours a Day: Sometimes studying for too long would not be effective. Time is scarce during those weeks, so it is better to use time efficiently. The brain can only focus small amounts of time in a day, and the distractions would waste a lot of valuable studying time.  Plan a study time when the brain works the best, and choose a place where is quiet. Make sure to tell the others to not distract you unless it is emergency and turn off all the technical devices. 

5. Get into Study Groups: I know some people might prefer to study by themselves, but discussing materials with other classmates is definitely a great way to study. I didn't believe study groups are helpful until I experienced it. I actually got help from other classmates, and I gave help to them, too. Perhaps there are places you might missed to study, but another classmates can remind you, so you will catch that. Overall, helping each other score best on the test is nice thing to do. 

6. Put away the Heavy Textbooks and Focus on the Light Notecards: The test is around the corner, and the time is running out. There is no time to focus on the details of the long chapters. It is the time to only focus on the highlights. During the term, I like to make notecards for the key words and important parts for each chapter. When it comes to dead week, I would only focus on the information on the notecards. The good thing about them is that I carry them around everywhere I go, so I can study anytime and anywhere. 

I hope they are helpful!! Good Luck!!

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