Surviving End of Semester Stress

Self Care – Every Day!

1. Eat Right – same mix every day of carbs, protein, fat, water
2. Aerobic Exercise – 30 minutes per day and some weight lifting, too
3. 7+ Hours Sleep – 7 hours is a minimum for most people, and is especially important for the 2 or 3 nights prior to an exam
4. Scheduled Down Time – schedule some time when you aren’t studying and aren’t THINKING about studying
5. Keep in Touch—with friends and family, talking about what they are doing in their lives. Get the focus off of the stress in your life for a while each day

Study Tips

1. General Guidelines for Exam Time – the best way to avoid stress is to be prepared. Writing test items and answering them is one of the best ways to study
2. Study Groups – a good group is a goldmine. Here are excellent guidelines for creating and managing a productive study group.
   1. Have one person manage the group’s time and effort.
   2. Preparing a written presentation of material and then teaching it to others is a great way to learn.
   3. Have 2 people cover the same material (at least 4 people in group.)
3. General Test-Taking Strategies –
   1. Don’t freak out
   2. Take your watch off and put it on the corner of the desk while you are taking the test.
   3. Plan on taking the entire test time to complete the test.
   4. Read the entire exam and follow guidelines for multiple choice exams.
4. Formulate a Study Plan – use this guide to
   1. get a comprehensive list of all the materials you need to synthesize for an exam,
   2. estimate the time you need to thoroughly study, and then
   3. plan your strategy for covering all the materials.
5. Answering Multiple Choice Questions –
   1. Read the questions carefully.
   2. Answer the question before looking at the possible answers.
   3. Don’t see if an answer can possibly be true, see if it can possibly be false. If the answer can possibly be false – it is not the answer! 
   4. Look at item J – these are really important tips.
6. Test Anxiety – The symptoms of anxiety make us even more anxious – it becomes a cycle.

1. In order to break the cycle, many people avoid studying and preparing for the exam. They procrastinate!
2. Think of that initial discomfort as a bit of turbulence at a boundary, like the resistance you feel as you push your finger through a plastic bag. Once you break through the barrier, you are fine. So it is with studying and taking an exam. Just understand that the discomfort you feel will diminish as you concentrate on the work and let it go!

1. Methods to Overcome Test Anxiety – Preparation is the best antidote to anxiety.

1. Create a routine for the day before and on test day
   1. Stop studying in the early evening before an exam
   2. Put away your materials, pack everything you will need in your backpack – including water and a snack bar or piece of fruit
   3. No caffeine after 4:00! And no drugs or alcohol.
   4. Get some aerobic exercise before 5:00 the  night before.
   5. Set the alarm a little earlier than usual
   6. Go for a walk before your exam – 30 minutes of fast walking around campus with 5 to 10 minutes to cool down and get settled into your chair.
   7. Arrive about 5 minutes before the exam
   8. Don’t talk to the nervous people – they will just make you feel more nervous
   9. Sit in a place with few distractions
   10. Get out all the items you will need and put everything else away
   11. Relax your muscles, take a few deep breaths, mentally prepare to take the exam. Know that your anxiety will pass away as you begin working.
2. So the Big Exam is Tomorrow! 
   1. Read over this list the night before the exam and make sure you are as prepared as you can be.

Getting More Organized

1. How to Get More Organized – this is a great list to follow in an effort to get more organized.
   1. Especially doing the unpleasant things first.
   2. When you finish a study session, make a note with the next two or three tasks, clean off your desk and put everything away, and then just leave the little list of next steps right in the middle of your desk. It is so much easier to get back to work, and that little list in invaluable. 
2. Monthly Calendar – here is where you list the show-stoppers. The big items that you have to do. Get them out of your head and on a piece of paper so you don’t have to think about them anymore.
3. Weekly Schedule – Here is where you turn your to-do list into a plan of action.
   1. Don’t freak out when you end up varying from your schedule.
   2. Just make sure you schedule some free time in case you need to catch up on something.
   3. Think Structured Flexibility! 
4. Good To-Do Lists is worth its weight in gold. This is where you keep organized and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. 

1. BUT – don’t let your to-do list become a way of procrastinating!
2. If you spend more than 30 minutes planning per day, you are procrastinating!
3. So keep your to-do list specific and up-to-date.