End of the Semester Anxiety

For those of us in college, we are winding down into what I like to call the home stretch. The academic year is almost over, and some of us are very excited to take a break from school work and enjoy the summer.

That being said, preparing for the end of the semester can be very stressful, and it is very important to take care of yourself and stay on top of your work. Now, I know what you’re thinking: I have so much work to do and little time to do it, and if people try to be nice to me and talk to me, I’m going to eat their faces off.

This is a helpful list to make sure you don’t eat anyone’s face and to make sure you keep your sanity!!

1. Keep a Planner Handy!I know that this is something that you should, in theory, have had all year, but if you didn’t use it, use it now! It’s important to know when your finals are and when your papers are due.
   

   Make sure to organize everything you’re doing! It’ll help in the long run!
   Picture taken from Google

2. Make lists!!! If you don’t have a planner, then do yourself a favor and make homework lists! What I like to do is write out a schedule for one week, and then write under each day of the week what homework I want to accomplish for that day. Then I make little check boxes next to the list so that I make sure I check off the things I do. This is a great system because it makes you feel guilty for not checking off the thing to do for that day! Utilize your time management skills, and discipline yourself – it’ll help you in the long run!
   

   Checklists always help me get all of my work done!
   Picture taken from Google

3. Communicate Effectively!Make sure you talk to your professors and your peers thoroughly so you know when everything is due, what you have to specifically do for assignments, and don’t let anything slip through the cracks.
   

   But seriously, make sure you listen to your peers and your professors!
   Picture taken from Google

4. Keep your Friends Close!Yes, I know this is a stressful time of the year, and that stress can affect how your treat others, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your friends close to you! Don’t let them see the scary finals monster that you turn into during this time; instead, be supportive of each other, and help each other out during this time of stress. And if you do turn into that scary finals monster, make sure to emphasize that this is the finals monster coming out, not how you really feel about that person. If a friend of yours is showing you their finals monster, just try to put things into perspective, and be as  understanding as possible.
   

   Me and my friends having fun at “Super StRose Sweep”! It’s nice to unwind with something fun and something that supports a good cause!
   Photo taken by Lauren Russo

5. BREATHE! Take some time for yourself to unwind, or else you really will go crazy! Listen to some calming music, watch a movie, or just hang out with your friends! (I usually call this my “Genevieve time”).

Do you have any suggestions for surviving finals week? Let me know in the comments below!

If you are having a lot of trouble with managing things, then know that there is always someone to talk to at Saint Rose, be it your RA, someone from the Counseling Center, or a professor. We are here for you to make sure you have the best college experience possible!