3 Tips to Help You Survive the Stress of Midterm Week

Since it is the middle of the semester for most universities and midterms are about to be in full swing, I have decided to focus this week’s blog post on how to handle stress during your crazy school weeks. I will say before going further in this post that I am using tips that have helped me deal with stress and that these tips may not work with everyone. If you are truly experiencing severe stress and/or depression, then please speak with your campus counseling services or doctor for help with managing stress and/or depression.

1. Exercise: I know that many of you guys feel that there is no time during you busy week to exercise, but you should make time. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which make your body feel better and reduce your stress levels. Exercising also helps when you are dealing with writer’s block because physical activity can help give you that surge of inspiration you need. If you don’t know what exercises you have time for, I suggest searching the BeFit channel on YouTube for an activity that works for you.

2. Give Yourself a Brain Break Between Study Sessions: Even, if it is just watching a funny video on YouTube or drinking a cup of herbal tea, doing something that relaxes you will make midterms bearable. Taking a breather will also allow you to come back to work with a fresh perspective that may help you solve a problem you are stuck on.

3. Meditate: No, I am not asking you to sit cross legged and to say “Ohm!” for an hour straight, although if that helps you relieve stress, then go for it. I’m talking about practicing mindfulness, which is where you focus on the current moment you are in. To do it, you need to close your eyes and focus on maintaining deep breaths. Then you need to focus on trying to relax each part of your body one section at a time. Doing this only takes about ten minutes, but if you want to do more a more in depth version of meditation, then download Pacifica (available on iOS and Android), which will walk you through step by step.

I hope this tips will help you survive your midterms. If you have any questions or comments for me, then you can post them in the comments or tweet me, my Twitter handle is @JoieBieger. Stay tuned next week for tips on how to make your resume rock.
What kind of things do you do to make stress more bearable?