Back in high school, I did not care at all about the holidays.
My family celebrates Christmas, but since I did not have the time or space to think about Christmas before the actual holiday, I missed out on lots of wonderful things. My intense, collegiate prep school never gave me the emotional space to simply feel excited for it. I never was able to make Christmas cookies with my mom while I still lived at home, because I could not afford to take that long of a break in studying. I would forget to buy presents for the people I cared for, and would then feel terrible when I received gifts from them with nothing to give back.
Fortunately, college is not high school! Just by virtue of living in the same place where you learn, you free up time you didn’t even realize you were losing. Last year (my first year at UVA), I learned a lot about handling my newfound free time, including how to maintain peace and stay present in the busy season. I was able to stay focused for as long as I needed to get through finals, without letting the holidays slip by like they did in high school. Though my strategy is certainly not perfect yet, I intend to keep working on it, and hope you, dear reader, can take what resonates. Without further ado, here are 5 ways to stay present during finals season, so you can best enjoy the holidays ahead.
1. Take brain breaks
There always seems to come a point in studying where my brain just shuts down, and I no longer accomplish anything productive. This, I’ve learned, is my cue to take a brain break, which can involve doing anything that is not my schoolwork for an hour (different amounts of time may work for different people, I recommend doing this intuitively!). I usually start by doing chores, such as laundry or cleaning a part of my shared house. Then, I usually end up napping for the remainder of the time. Alternatively, you can respond to the text messages you’ve been ignoring out of stress, do some holiday shopping, decorate your living space–anything that you personally feel that you need to do to reset.
2. Do NOT wait until after your last final to pack
Ideally, leaving Grounds for break should be enjoyable. The last thing you need to do is what I did last year: pack for a month away from school after a 7-9pm microeconomics final. If you spread your packing out into small increments, maybe right before bed every night, you can take the time after your last final to truly relax, and anticipate your well-deserved holiday to come. Alternatively, if you’re not going home, skip this step and just take this time after your last final to decompress!
3. Get out of the house/dorm
I like to section off a chunk of a day to do something I consider fun, as a way of getting away from my work for a bit. My current favorite activity is getting all-you-can-eat sushi, but Charlottesville has limitless possibilities of places you can go for some fun in the middle of finals season. If you can, take your friends, because you don’t want finals season to slip by without making time for the people you care about.
4. Plan, but don’t work ahead
I’m a big planner, AND I’m here to warn against working ahead. Do assignments and study exactly on the days you say you’re going to, and when you’re done for the day, stop. Working ahead is one of the easiest ways to throw off your momentum. Newton’s First Law doesn’t just apply to physics; it is harder to start working again after resting than to maintain steady motion. Go into each day and do exactly what you intend to do, rest, and get excited for this otherwise-wonderful time of year. Take it one day at a time.
5. Practice gratitude
Things always seem a little less bleak when you’re able to find things to be thankful for. Yes, you’re stressed, but you’re stressed out at a Top-25 university. That’s something to be thankful for in itself! Maybe it’s something as little as your barista making your Starbucks drink perfectly, or maybe you’re thankful overall that you won’t have to worry about school for a month once your finals are done. Be thankful for a great semester, be thankful you get to see your pets at home, or be thankful that you found time for a nap during the day. There is light at the end of the tunnel, yes, but there is light all around if you look close enough.
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