Featured image by @dimiboutselis
Finals week: the most dreaded week of the year. You’re faced with the danger of decimating your GPA while simultaneously praying you don’t break out from stress. You may not have time for a lengthy trip to the spa or full yoga class—so what can you do? Glad you asked…
Make Banana Bread
Bananas have high levels of potassium which regulate blood pressure when we’re stressed. You can eat them in any form, but who doesn’t love pulling a Martha Stewart?
Makeout with Someone (Or Just Cuddle)
Kissing, cuddling, and anything else along those lines relieves stress by causing your body to release feel-good endorphins. So turn on Olivia Newton-John’s hit “Physical” and feel your stress melt away. Or, if you don’t have a partner to cuddle with, getting physical in the gym has the same effect.
Pinterest-Plan Your Summer Vacation
No better way to get pumped than by thinking about the fiesta that awaits you after your last exam. Don’t add additional stress by trying to book hotels or trains; just focus on the fun stuff, like pinning photos of all the bucket-list places you want to visit.
Try Alternate Nasal Breathing
Skip the yoga session and cut straight to the alternate nasal breathing! It’s pretty self-explanatory: you just breathe out of one nostril by blocking the other, then alternate. There are tons of benefits, trust me.
Glow-Up
“Glow-up” can be mean painting your nails, taking a hot shower, blow drying your hair, or anything else that makes you feel Fergie-level glamorous. There’s nothing less glamorous than binge-eating a bag of potato chips at the school library studying, so this can help compensate.
Go Online Shopping
Well, be wary with this (Nasty Gal’s master bankruptcy sale coincided with my last finals and I almost went bankrupt myself balling out). However, a few innocent summer-clothing purchases can be just the reward you need after a long day reviewing class notes.
Facetime a Friend Back Home
There’s no faster way to calm the nerves than laughing (or ranting) to a friend back home. They’re probably studying too and can relate to the struggle.
Get Sh*t Done
Ultimately, there’s no better de-stressor than studying up, mastering your stuff, and walking into that exam knowing you gave it your best shot. So do what you gotta do to get in the right mindset, then hit the books.
Good luck!
