’Tis the season to be sleep deprived and stressed, fa-la-la-la-la-la! Finals week is here, which means restless nights of studying and writing papers. The week gifts students with early symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and insomnia, and good luck finding an available study room in Ryan Library or LaPenta School of Business.  

During finals week, students lose themselves to an endless stream of papers and tests. Exhaustion and anxiety are becoming unhealthy norms associated with finals week. While the concept of finals week is widely understood, the extreme fatigue and tension that it brings should not be considered permissible. A completely stress-free and restful finals week cannot be guaranteed, but there are ways in which you can make the dreaded week a little bit better.  

Many students struggle with time management. If you are one of these students, a planner may help. Even if you only intend on using it only for one week, a planner can make your finals week experience a lot smoother. Sitting down and writing out your week will allow you to create specific times that are dedicated to studying or relaxing. And if you are not a pen and paper person, you can find apps or websites designed to help you with managing your time. 

It also helps to find and identify a designated studying area. Most students write papers and study for exams in their beds, but studies have shown that people who are accustomed to studying in bed have a difficult time falling asleep. This is because they associate their beds with productive studying and not sleep. So, try to find a place outside of your bedroom that you can associate with productivity. There are plenty of places on campus that are perfect for this.  

A lot of students also find the writing-intensive aspect of finals week challenging. It is not easy trying to write good papers back-to-back because of things like writer’s block. An easy solution is to just write, even if you write nonsense. Write until you get a sense of motivation and creativity. You could always go back and take out or edit the nonsense portions. Plus, writing gibberish is better than writing absolutely nothing at all.  

Distractions are everywhere. It is easy to spend hours scrolling through your phone when you should be writing a final paper or studying for an exam that is worth 20% of your grade. If you are a person who is easily distracted, try eliminating some of those distractions. If Tik Tok or any other social media app is preoccupying you, delete the app. If your friends are disturbing your studies, do not consider studying with them. Try to eliminate any distractions, even if it is only for the duration of finals week.  

Typically, the recipe for finals week calls for blood, sweat and tears, but try sprinkling in some of these tips for a change and top it off with plenty of rest and self-care. To every college student out there, good luck.