BUVoice.com

The Voice

BUVoice.com

The Voice

BUVoice.com

The Voice

Beat the End of Semester Stress: Get organized, move around, hang out with friends

     The end of the semester is nearing. Twitter users have deemed April “GPA awareness month” and a meme has surfaced stating “April Showers are the tears of college students.” College students relate to this all too well.

     The end of the semester means scheduling classes for next semester, completing final projects and prepping for final exams. On top of this, students are planning summer jobs/internships, finalizing housing plans for the next school year or preparing to embark into the real word. An article on Buzzfeed summed up the end of the semester best with an image of a man struggling to swim in a pool surrounded by floating papers. College students: you know you feel this way.

     With so much going on, it can be hard for students to stay focused and the stress can lead to an unhealthy mental state. Do not fear though, while the school year ending can be scary, stressful, infuriating and tiring, there are steps that can be made to make it more manageable.

1. Use a planner or calendar to stay organized.
One way to avoid the stress of keeping track of assignment due dates, exams dates and organization/group meetings is to use a planner or calendar to stay organized. Writing dates of assignments, exams and meetings in a planner, on a calendar or even in your smartphone calendar will make completing homework and studying much easier. By planning out the rest of your semester, everything may seem more manageable because you’ll have a clear look of what needs to be done and when.

2. Work out to relieve stress and anxiety.
     College students are no strangers to stress and anxiety. The end of the semester leads to even more stress than the end of the year, and final exams are the most stress-inducing part of the year. One way to relieve some of this stress and anxiety is to get moving. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that physical activity reduces stress and anxiety. So, take a break from an essay, project or studying and get moving. The recreation center on campus has several classes including Zumba, Yoga, Piloxing and others. A schedule can be found on the recreation center Instagram: @bloomureccenter. If classes aren’t for you, taking a walk, stretching, running or anything else that gets your heart pumping will help you to relieve some of that end of the semester stress.

3. Schedule time to hang out with friends in-between long study sessions or homework.
     A UCLA study done in the year 2000 proved that when people have a circle of friends they spend time with, their stress levels are reduced. So, by making time during the end of the semester to get dinner or ice cream with friends, stress can be reduced. Much of the final part of the semester is spent studying, completing homework and stressing about grades. So, it is important to make “you” time to either unwind with a television show or good book, or friend time such as a movie night or a walk.

     The end of the semester is hard and it can seem unlikely that stress can be reduced when final grades are on the line. However, by following these tips, or using strategies that you know have worked for you in the past, the last month of this semester can be manageable.

Morgan is a Secondary Education  and English major. She is she Vice President of College Republicans and Assistant Editor for The Voice

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributor

Comments (0)

All The Voice Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *