Mindfulness and Finals Week

Finals week is just around the corner, and with it, the seemingly endless amounts of stress and anxiety. Whether it is studying all-night for an upcoming exam or being swamped with papers and group projects, finals week can be an overwhelming period for students. As a result, many students adopt unhealthy habits that end up only making the situation worse. If left unchecked, the stress and anxiety of finals week can be so emotionally and mentally devastating that it can lead to more severe issues such as depression.

Thankfully, there are certain measures that will help you avoid becoming too stressed before and during finals week. Mindfulness and meditation are both extremely reliable when it comes to managing academic stress. Here are some tips on how you can emotionally and mentally get through finals week.

Make Time for Mindful Thinking/Meditation:

Although your time during finals week might be limited, you should still try to find some time where you can decompress and focus on practicing mindful thinking or meditation. Both are extremely helpful in keeping your mind squarely in the present and preventing you from getting ahead of yourself and worrying about any upcoming exams, papers, and final projects. If possible, try spending some time in the outdoors to get the most of mindfulness and meditation. Being in nature can work wonders in clearing the mind and removing all worries.

Use Breathing Techniques/5 senses drills:

If you are starting to feel extremely overwhelmed during finals week and you think you are going to have a mental breakdown, please take a step back from the situation and use breathing techniques or the 5 senses drill. By relying on sensory awareness, these techniques will help calm you down by having your mind focus on the here and now instead of worrying about what might happen in the future. Once you have calmed down and your mind has relaxed, you can return to what you were doing more focused and composed.

Avoid Negative Stimulates/bad habits:

Many students feel that it’s necessary during finals week to stay up all night studying or drinking lots of coffee instead of sleeping to have more time cramming for their upcoming exams. Such study habits are counterproductive as they decrease the quality of the study session. They also put additional stress on the mind and make mindful thinking and mediation that much more difficult. To make the most of mindfulness and meditation, you should:

• Avoid caffeine

• Stop stress eating junk food

• Remove electronic distractions

• Take a break from social media

• Get a good night’s sleep

Use Additional Relaxation Resources:

If you are finding it difficult to meditate or practice mindful thinking, there are many online and digital resources that you can use to help to focus and reach a state of mental relaxation. This includes listening to relaxing music or nature sounds. There are also several podcasts and apps dedicated to meditating and mindfulness that you can use as well. You can find additional mindfulness/mediation resources here.

In the end, while finals week can be a changeling and extremely stressful time, you need to make sure you do not sacrifice your mental health for good grades. These tips will help you handle the anxiety and put you in a better position mentally to pass your classes while still maintaining your mental wellbeing. We here at the TCD Mindfulness Society wish you all luck in the coming days, and always remember to stay mindful!

Stay Mindful,

TCD Mindfulness Society