Tips From an Irvine Private Tutor: “Avoiding Stress During Finals”

Tips From an Irvine Private Tutor: “Avoiding Stress During Finals”

Students are incredibly relieved to realize all of their AP exams are over and that the ACT and SAT are in the bag for the spring (assuming they received the score they were hoping for). However, once students have had a bit of a rest, they remember that finals are on the horizon. It isn’t over until the end of June and it’s important that students maintain a low level of stress (if possible) to ensure success during finals as well as a healthy and happy life in general.

Why not use technology to fight undue stress and anxiety? Students are using technology to study all day long as it is. There are some great anti-stress apps out there to help motivated, but overwhelmed, students stay relaxed during these final weeks of school (READ: “10 Reasons You Need a Summer Irvine Private Tutor”).

1. Calm.com

Aptly named, Calm.com helps students, and their parents, stay rejuvenated and rested during long-haul study sessions. Users can choose from a mixture of backgrounds including soothing raindrops, ocean waves, and floating clouds. Students who are in need of a zone-out session can simply stare at the screen and listen to the soothing sounds of the rainforest, while super stressed users can choose the guided meditation function.

Recommended study break plan: Start with the 2-minute guided meditation option after arriving home from school in order to separate classroom study from at-home study. Proceed to take a break every hour and continue with the 2-minute guided meditation until the end of the study session. A nice feature on Calm.com is the ability to complete the meditation in just 2 minutes, making it a reasonable break time. Students who work late into the evening are encouraged to use the 5-minute guided meditation feature to help them focus away from the blue light on their screen and relax them off to sleep. A well-rested student is more likely to perform successfully at school.

2. Breathe2Relax

Another great anti-stress app is Breathe2Relax. This particular app helps students calm down when they become overwhelmed with test prep or when they are attempting to cram for finals. Many people start to breathe too quickly or even skip breaths here and there when they are not mindful of their stress levels; this particular app can help get students back on track. Whether a student takes a 5-minute break every 30 minutes to an hour to simply breathe, or if they plug in their headphones and use the app for the entirety of their study session, healthy breathing can help students power through long amounts of homework or test preparation.

Recommended study break plan: students who are studying for exams will often become overwhelmed with the thought of the subject matter at hand. Additionally, students may feel overwhelmed from the time they wake up in the morning until they finish their final exams in the afternoon. Students can use the app throughout their studies or they can listen to it in the car ride to school (assuming they’re not driving) for 2 minutes or so prior to the actual exam. Students who are less anxious are more likely to remember important material and do well on their tests.

3. White Noise

Students who are studying late into the evening will often have trouble falling asleep. It’s very rare for a student to finish studying at 10 p.m. and then be asleep by 10:15. These stresses during finals coupled with looking at a computer screen late at night will generally make it difficult for a student, or anyone, to fall asleep straight away, preventing them from getting those all-important 8 hours. Students who need to fall asleep fast but still have their mind on final examinations can use an app such as White Noise. Students can choose from a number of different sounds such as ocean waves, stream water, or even an air conditioner to help them fall asleep. Users don’t have to worry about listening to the lovely sounds of the ocean for an entire 8 hours because they can easily set the app to shut off after a certain amount of time.

Bottom Line

Although studying, especially in high school, is a huge part of a student’s life, it’s important that they maintain good health and happiness throughout their final examination study journey. Taking a few minutes here and there to relax, re-center, or rest is a great way to aid in an overall study/life balance.
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