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Student Life

7 Easy Ways to Destress During Midterms

Don't forget to take study breaks.

Binita Gupta

Oct 24, 2016

Princeton University

Green Ivy Educational Counseling

Midterms have the amazing ability to turn a lively student body into a bunch of caffeine-addicted, sleep-deprived students. Try not and let midterms week get you down with some of these easy study break ideas!

1. Go to an event on campus.

Finger-painting workshop, apple orchard trips, poetry readings, Glee Club concerts, homecoming football games -- it all works! Having a scheduled event to look forward to will also motivate you to get your work done earlier, not to mention that spending time somewhere other than the library is pretty refreshing.

2. Grab a meal with your friends.

It's so tempting to eat dinner with your headphones in and your textbook open, but you deserve that thirty-minutes to catch up with your friends and actually enjoy your food. Don't forget to get dessert, too.

3. Take a nap.

Studying when your eyes literally can't stay open isn't productive, either. Take a quick nap (30 minutes is perfect!) and you'll be so much more focused.

4. Color.

I'm convinced that coloring books are therapeutic. If you don't have a coloring book, when you go to print out your physics review guide, print out a few coloring sheets while you're at it. Try here for some cool designs.

5. Call someone back home.

Mom, dad, sister, cousin, neighbor, old friend -- doesn't matter! Just talking to someone outside of campus can help remind you that there is (shockingly!) life outside of your chemistry textbook.

6. Clean.

Whether it's decluttering your email inbox, taking out the trash, sweeping your floor, or recycling the dozens of plastic water bottles that have been sitting on your desk for weeks, cleaning's a great way to take a break from studying but still be productive. Plus, it'll be a lot easier for you to focus in a clean workspace!

7. Watch some TV.

A classic study-break idea that never gets old. Forty-five minutes, approximately the length of one episode, is also the perfect amount of time for a quick break.

Seriously, midterms suck. But keep in mind you're not in it alone; the rest of campus is just as stressed out as you are! (Oh, and also don't forget that there's a curve.) Good luck!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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