Feeling a little overwhelmed? Here's my Midterm Survival Guide!

Swamped right now? ME TOO!

It's that time of year folks...MIDTERMS! Assignments are piling up, proposals are due, midterm exams are happening. BUTTTTTTT You still have readings to do for some courses and you have work, maybe you joined a club in September and so you have meetings and events to attend. Also your aunts birthday is coming up and you have buy her a gift and help plan the party and your parents need you to help them with house work. You might feel like you're being pulled in a hundred different directions.

So how do you cope?

I know, I know you guys are SOO organized...you've been making S.M.A.R.T Goals, To-do Lists and planning ahead...but let's pretend for a minute that you haven't...how then do you survive Midterms? Well this is where I come in...here are some of my top tips for surviving this CRAZY busy part of the semester.

-Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night

Often when people become busy and stressed the first thing they cut is sleep. This is a major mistake! Sleep is VERY important because it allows your muscles and tissues to grow and be repaired and helps your body to fight infection. Ever wonder why there are so many people that are sick around Midterm time? CUZ THEY'RE UP ALL NIGHT! Also sleep helps with memory storage and retention as well as new learning. If you don't get enough sleep you might find yourself making silly mistakes on exams or at work; mistakes you might not have made had you gotten enough sleep. All-nighters are NEVER the answer!



-Don't consume too much caffeine
Some people swear that having an Extra Large Tim Horton's Coffee every hour on the hour is the only way to get through Midterms! Buttt too much caffeine can lead to some pretty serious issues...according to the "Mayo Clinic"you can develop Insomnia, Nervousness,  Restlessness, Irritability, Stomach upset, Fast heartbeat and Muscle tremors. Some people are so sensitive to caffeine that even a little bit makes them jittery and can seriously impact their concentration. Check out this link for more info!




- TAKE BREAKS!!

Know that it's ok to give yourself a break! Sometimes people are really hard on themselves and try to study for 8 hours at a time without a break. However at the same time you can't take too many breaks because then you won't actually get too much work done. My fellow RSA Tori wrote a GREAT blog last week all about HOW TO TAKE A STUDY BREAK! so if you need some tips check out her blog.

**If you're having a hard time coping with the stress that you're feeling at this time of the semester, know that you do have support available to you. REMEMBER that you can always go to The Counselling and Disability Services Office in The Bennett Centre. Check out this link for more info about CDS **

Well that's my advice, but let me know what works for you and GOOD LUCK with your Midterms!!


Take it one day at a time and catch me in the zone!!
Nicole