Beating Anxiety During Finals

Anxiety during final exams is no joke. It’s bad in college, but hits an all time high once you’re in law school. I remember that I would get really bad heartburn the day of exams my 1L year because I was just so nervous and anxious. Hopefully everyone is more chill than that, but the likelihood is that things are bad. And I get why it’s so high-stress–there’s so much riding on your grades! Obviously, nothing will help beat the anxiety more than being well-prepared in the material–that’s a given. But even when you’re fully prepared there’s still a sense of urgency and pressure you’re working under. How do you overcome that?

One. Prepare the day before the test. Instead of studying well into the night, maybe passing out at your desk and then waking up in a frenzy to get to the test on time–prepare the day before so everything starts easy. Get your laptop/test materials ready, pick out your outfit, and make sure your alarm(s) are set if you have an early wakeup call.

Two. Go to sleep. Please! You need to have one good night’s sleep. Do what you can to get to sleep early AND actually sleep through the night. I used to sleep horribly and would take Tylenol PM during school, but I stopped taking them before exams because, while I slept during the night, I would wake up groggy and it would take a while to get my bearings. Instead, before exams, I would take a hot shower before bed and use lavender oil to help me relax.  Do whatever works for you.

Three. Eat something–not just coffee! I used to not eat breakfast. Why? I have no idea–we do wild things when we’re young. But what a difference it makes when you have some energy and sustenance in your body! Just a few pieces of fruit or protein can really make a difference in your concentration.

Four. Do what makes you calm. Before the exam (or the night before) do what makes you calm–this can be yoga, deep breathing, meditation, prayer, or watching cat videos on youtube. Whatever makes you relax and takes your mind of your nerves is worth doing, even if it takes time. This will help reduce the stress more so than cramming in a last minute study session.

Five. Don’t spiral. Most importantly, right as the exam is being handed out and you start reading the questions–don’t start thinking negative thoughts. I still remember during one of my exams when I read the first question and just sat back and thought: shit. It took me too long to get back into the game because I kept thinking how bad I was going to do in answering that question. So I know that it doesn’t help when you berate yourself or start internally freaking out. So, if you find yourself on the edge of a negative spiral take a deep breath and push through it!

Finals season is the worst, but keep telling yourself that you’re almost there! Latinas Uprising wishes you all super great luck!