The First 5 Things To Do After Finishing Finals | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

The First 5 Things To Do After Finishing Finals

Self-care, self-care, self-care.

150
The First 5 Things To Do After Finishing Finals
Golden Bear Blog

If you’re like me, you’ve spent so much time in the past few weeks focused on final essays and studying for exams that you haven’t been able to fathom a life beyond all the stress. You walk out of the exam room directionless and contemplating what comes next for you. Well have no fear, here’s a list of the first five things you can do to get the ball rolling again in your post-finals week life:

1. Cry


But actually, you’ll either be crying because you just completely failed that exam you spent every hour of the past two weeks studying for or you’ll be crying tears of joy because you’re finally done. Either way, this is a sure fire way to de-stress after exams as your cortisol-dense tears will balance your stress levels back to normal.

2. Eat

Reward yourself for making it through these tough and trying times by buying yourself the biggest burrito out there. Or the most tantalizing pizza. Or both, I won’t judge. You also probably haven’t seen the light of day for some time now so it’d be good for you to get out there and treat yo’self.

3. Watch all the TV


Let the binge-watching begin! You can never go wrong with a good old Netflix marathon to subsequently cleanse your mental palate. Classic comedies like The Office are sure to take your mind off of the mental-emotional beating from finals. Or for something more serious, my own personal obsession recently has been the Netflix original drama The Crown. The possibilities are endless.

4. Contemplate packing

Now that the term is over, you have to start thinking about life beyond finals. You sit on your bed, doing any combination of crying, eating and binge-watching TV and think about what items you need to bring home with you. But you never quite make it off your bed to pack things. Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

5. Shower and/or nap


Let’s be real, the past few weeks have been non-stop bouts of studying and essay writing with the occasional mental break down to chop up the day. But now that that’s all in the past, you need to integrate into the world again. This means you need to take the longest, warmest shower in the world and follow it up by wrapping yourself in your coziest bathrobe and snuggling into bed for an equally as long snooze. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and the nightmare of those finals will be a figment of the past.

Even if you do all, some, or none of the things on this list, make sure you’re doing something. Whether it's journaling or finding the fluffiest puppy to pet, get out there and do something you enjoy. Taking time to relax now will help you clear your head and get refocused over the break for next term. Take care of yourself. You’re worth it.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1497
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

999
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

225
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1641
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments