Mental and physical health are essential during the end of the semester. You need to stay healthy for juries, finish all of your assignments due, send out pre-screenings for summer programs or YAPs, all while not stressing out and compromising your immune system in the process. Your body and brain need a little rest and recovery to keep you going!

1. Find healthier options for extra energy: Stay away from the Red Bull! Energy drinks and 5 Hour Energy help for intense periods of physical activity, but using stimulants for longer periods of studying can hurt more than help. Try opting for natural, lower level stimulants to keep you energized throughout the day. Healthy meals three times a day, low doses of coffee throughout the day, green tea, cinnamon, plenty of water, vitamins (please consult your doctor before taking any medication), stretching sessions, and timed breaks between study periods make a healthier, safer, and cheaper option.  

2. Sleep vs. all- nighters: Do you go to bed early and wake up early to complete your work, or do you try to finish it all at night and worry about sleep later? If you’re a night owl, you may feel more comfortable with having all the work done now rather than later. Studies have shown that the brain feels more energized and rested if it has had a proper night of sleep, and you get your best sleep by following your body's natural sleep tendencies. As much as you might not enjoy the possibility of getting up earlier than you wanted, you may retain more information if you are well-rested than if you are exhausted. Take that extra initiative to get a good night of sleep by staying away from your phone, tablet, or computer thirty minutes before going to bed. I know, I know, that can be really hard at times! One way to help is by getting a light filter app for your phone. I personally use Twilight. These apps emit red light that calms the brain instead of the white light which keeps your brain up. It's free and you can set how "red" you want your screen to be and the amount of time you want it to stay red. I tend to keep mine on between sunset and sunrise, just to be on the safe side.

3. Staying calm: Take a deep breath if you are feeling overwhelmed. Try to take a ten to fifteen minute break between one hour study sessions. Take a ten minute stretch session or a few minutes of silence before handling the hustle and bustle of the semester's end. Have an overloaded exam day? Have a soothing playlist ready on your phone or find your favorite quiet space on campus to collect your thoughts. Try and grab some sunlight, weather permitting, to get some vitamin D for determination! Any positive, relaxing thing you enjoy can be your saving grace during a busy day. Staying on task is important, but so is your sanity! If you are continually struggling despite all of these efforts, consider talking with a counselor or a health professional about further options.

4. Don’t bite off more than you can chew: Try to take study sessions one at a time rather than trying to pile your studying in just one night. If you have two or more exams in one day, tackle the hardest one first! Be kind to yourself, and know when to take a break if you are feeling exhausted or finding it hard to concentrate. I use a timer on my phone to keep track of how much time I am studying. Put your phone on airplane mode and really focus on the task at hand. I have also found the Pomodoro Technique to be extremely useful. You may be hungry for tomatoes right now, but the Pomodoro Technique typically uses twenty-five minute intervals followed by short breaks. Alloted periods of time can keep your work productive and your time well managed.

5. One little bite at a time: The more planned out your approach to your studying for that listening exam or tackling your jury, the more prepared and secure you will be. Have flash cards ready for your translations to read on the go or make a playlist of your songs or recordings of you rehearsing with your accompanist to listen to while travelling, at the gym, or during a lunch break. We live in a digital age so you can always keep your study materials with you wherever you go. Keep a to-do list handy and feel the satisfaction of crossing off an item on the list one by one throughout the day.

Remember to take a deep breath once in a while. Be kind to yourself during your last few days of the semester as you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. You're going to do just fine!