Written by Julia Yurchesyn

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

With the winter semester having come and gone, allow me to sympathize: I know the stress well. The semester is (almost) over, spring is in the air (kinda), and maybe you’ve already started making plans for the spring/summer. But between you and a well-deserved break stands final assignments, papers, and…exams. Bleh. And sometimes it can get so stressful that you delay doing anything at all, so what didn’t seem so bad before becomes nearly impossible. You’re pulling all-nighters just to get by. Yes, I have been there.

But no problem! There is hope yet. In this article, I will discuss ways to navigate through these stressful times for future reference, exploring not just how to survive it, but to hack it.

1. Make a To-Do List (With Dates)

This is SO important. Having a list with every single final assignment or exam is so useful when it comes to visualizing what the next few weeks are going to look like. Just having everything laid out in front of you can give you some sense of control over the situation, no matter how far behind you may feel.

You will also be able to allocate days of work and days of study, and determine how much time to spend working for each class. Even better, as you complete tasks you will be able to cross off items as you complete them—a small action that takes off such a huge mental load.

2. Break Up the Large Tasks Into Small Chunks

It was actually this semester that I was talking with a classmate about how stressed I was about one of our essays, and they gave me a great little pep-talk about breaking up the essay into smaller chunks. Instead of telling myself: okay, I need to go and sit down and write this huge 10 page paper now, I reframed it and said: now I’m going to write this one paragraph, or analyze this one quotation that’s important for my argument. It can also be helpful to change our vocabulary from “have to” to “want to” — the task is no longer a chore, but something beneficial that can allow us to grow.

Here’s the thing: when you have a final assignment that’s super long and worth a significant amount of your grade, it can honestly just feel impossible to get started, especially when you’re already burnt out from the semester in general. So, instead of asking yourself to climb an entire mountain, why not start with a hill? And then another one after that? Taking a gentle approach to the work that needs to be done is often a more sustainable way to finish off the semester.

3. Know When to Work Hard, and When to Let Go.

Completing the semester will usually involve some amount of hard work to get it all done, but it can become all too easy to put an insane amount of pressure on ourselves to perform everything perfectly, all the time.

When education feels heavy because of perfectionism, sometimes the best move may be to let ourselves do things imperfectly. As students, when we allow ourselves to complete tasks imperfectly, it often becomes easier to start because the pressure has been taken off. And knowing when the time is right to say: okay, this is good enough, is so helpful when you have a loooong list of things to do. Give yourself the freedom to let go of something, to say that okay is good enough!

4. Find Fulfillment in the Learning

Remembering why you’re in school can often be one of the ways to help you focus on finishing the semester. When it’s stressful and overwhelming, those of us who enjoy learning can forget that joy at the end of the semester. But really trying to remember the fulfillment of doing those tasks, of understanding that content and proving that argument can give you the energy and motivation to push through until the end.

It is also too easy to forget that it is a privilege to receive an education, and for many of us it requires effort to be able to afford it. Remembering the incredible opportunity that it is to receive an education can be helpful in motivating yourself to hit the books.

5. Treat Yourself 🙂

Honestly, sometimes you’re gonna need to treat yourself. Maybe this means buying yourself a coffee, or taking a walk on your favorite neighborhood route, spending some time with friends or letting yourself have a sleep in. We’re not robots, so when we’re in a tough period of the year, being extra nice to yourself can really go a long way in helping you survive and thrive throughout Finals Season.

6. Find Your Go-To Playlist(s)

This is another big one for me. I enjoy playing Breath of the Wild, Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley on my Nintendo Switch, so sometimes going on YouTube and listening to an ambience video will allow me to step into those worlds while doing school-work. Maybe for you, you need to listen to a specific artist on Spotify, or you have a specific genre that you listen to during crunch-time. That has been such a huge help for me during really difficult semesters! Having good music can make hard things more fun, y’know?

Hopefully, this article will be a helpful resource when exam season comes around again. Remember that no matter what, you’re amazing and capable! Believe in yourself, and try to be gentle on yourself, too, as we navigate this crazy journey called student-life.

How to Beat Stress and Hack Finals Season