SHC Counseling Team in their Halloween costumes inspired by the Inside Out media franchise. (Provided by Ms. Macmillan)
Need resources for finals? Take a look at the tips below for practicing a healthy BALANCE between studying and prioritizing your mental health/self-care!
Preparing for Finals:
- Make a plan
- Map out when you will study
- Create a schedule to study over multiple days in manageable chunks of time (ex. 20 minutes every day: MWF math, science, language; TTH English, history, religion)
- Organize your materials
- Pull out old tests, study guides, class notes
- Sort by date or topic
- Plan breaks
- Set a timer for short breaks between study sessions so that you return to work in a timely fashion but also get needed breaks
- Prioritize supports
- In your schedule, leave time for plenty of sleep, eating healthfully, exercising, and connecting with family/friends
Managing Moments of Stress during Testing:
- Breathe
- Maintaining awareness of the breath helps you to stay calm during stressful situations.
- Find a comfortable position, ideally with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight and upright. Close your eyes or fix your eyes on one particular point. Pay attention to the physical sensation of at least one inhalation and exhalation.
- When you notice yourself becoming tense, return focus to your breath.
- One thing at a time
- Cover the questions that you are not working on so that you are focused only on the task at hand.
- If you are having trouble with one question, skip it and return later. Remind yourself that it is only one question.
- Positive self-talk
- Remind yourself, “I studied. I know this.”
- This is especially important when you notice your thinking turning to, “I’ll never get this. I don’t know any of this material. I’m going to fail.”
- Counteract your negative thoughts by reminding yourself that you studied so you can do well.
- Mental Break
- Glance away from your test. Look toward the distance and take a deep breath. Request a break and get a drink of water.
