Coping with End of Semester Jitters

The Christmas season is quickly approaching.

Students are itching to finish the fall semester and conquer the stress of completing and presenting final exams and projects.

As an English major, writing papers and designing projects are going to be part of my final three weeks of the semester.

Anybody else feeling anxious or stressed about presenting that final project, writing that final paper or taking that final exam? Do you ever stress about clicking that final button that says submit?

Trust me. You are not alone.

We have no choice but to submit those finals. Even afterward, we may still worry about final grades.

Here is some last-minute advice for conquering those end-of-semester jitters!

Checking the List Twice

When it comes to final projects and exams, as students, we struggle wondering whether we worked hard enough. When submitting my work, I sometimes question whether I did my best on a given project.

One tip is to review the requirements professors have provided.

I go through my project and the requirements to make sure I have met them all before submitting. Checking them off one by one, I feel a sense of accomplishment but also reassurance knowing that I did my best.

Something as simple as looking over the requirements again may help you feel confident about your final submission.

Diminishing Doubt

Doubt, anxiety, fear and worry are real.

If, like me, you get anxious when taking tests, you may fear that you did awful afterward.

So, how do we diminish doubt?

We are never going to diminish doubt one hundred percent. However, we can change our mindset.

When exams or projects approach, make sure to set time aside to study, understand the materials, design the project or conduct the research. Doing so helps avoid procrastination and can alleviate doubt. Ultimately, that should be our main goal.

Good habits yield positive results and a more confident outlook from knowing that we did our best on our finals. That is easier said than done, but I challenge you to work on those good habits!

Taking Time for Yourself

Though the end of the semester is approaching, and stress is high, focusing on yourself is important.

Taking a mental break from a project or paper can be beneficial. Get up, walk away, and take a deep breath!

Try decorating your dorm, grabbing a coffee with a friend, participating in activities around campus or taking a short walk around campus to get some fresh air.

Final exams and projects are very important, but so is your mental health. Take time to breathe and get the most out of your college experience while you are here at Wilson.

Good luck with your final exams and projects, Wilson Phoenixes, and Happy Holidays!