Study-Time Stress Relievers

As exam week approaches, stress levels tend to rise. Being prepared for your exams is important, but studying every waking hour for an entire week is not possible. Short study breaks can help you relax and even increase productivity.  Here are a few study break suggestions:

1. Get outside. Go sledding on the golf course or skating at Occom Pond for a couple of hours mid-day to relax after a morning of studying. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress and produce mood-boosting endorphins. Don’t have enough time to sled? Try taking thirty seconds to do as many push ups or crunches as you can or walk your dog for fifteen minutes.

2. Laughter is another great stress reliever.  Watch an episode of your favorite comedy show or joke around with friends or your study group.

3. Go out for coffee, paint your nails, sketch a picture of your cat to let your mind rest for half an hour.

4. Procrastinated and don’t have time for a break? Form a study group that you know will stay on task. You can combine your knowledge of the subject, answering each other’s questions and checking answers. This will reduce the stress of flipping through binders of notes to answer your questions and can make studying more fun.

5. Try to relax for at least twenty minutes before going to bed.  You won’t be able to sleep with Chemistry equations running through your mind. Take a hot shower; read a book for fun; watch an episode of your favorite show on Hulu to unwind.