While many may be looking forward to winter break, that means getting through finals week.
First-year students, who may be prone to more stress due to the transition to college life, may be especially prone to it this time of year.
Autumn Romig, first-year from Gardner, says that she’s not stressed about every final, but just one in particular.
“I’m not really worried too much about finals this semester,” she said. “The only one I’m worried about is my psychology final. I do think that most first-year students are more stressed right now because they just don’t know what to expect.”
But that doesn’t mean that students who have the routine of finals down are feeling less stressed out.
“Classes change every semester, and those classes should get harder,” Lindsey Fenton, sophomore biology major, said. “I think everyone feels a bit of stress during this time no matter what year in college they are. Some students have a lot riding on their finals.”
While many people may not know how to manage stress, there are plenty of resources to help beat final exam stress.
According to www.collegefashion.com, avoiding stressful people, eating healthy and exercise, saying no to distractions, taking breaks and being positive are steps in the right direction.
Another site, www.webmd.com says that stress-busting goods can help fight stress in several ways, boosting levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. Suggestions for these foods include a bowl of warm oatmeal, oranges, almonds and raw veggies.
Steering clear of sweets and soda also is something that students may want to do during finals week.
“Because I’m usually stressed out and up all night studying, I’ll drink an energy drink or have some sweets,” Fenton said. “But after the initial high is over, I feel worse than I did before. It’s like a ‘crash’ feeling.”
This may be because sweets can provide a short-term relief of stress, but then are digested quickly leading to a sudden spike-then fall- in serotonin.
Whichever way students choose to study and prepare for finals, just being able to have some free time in between it all is what they might just need.
“All you can do is just relax, study a lot and do your best,” Romig said.