Give yourself a break during midterms

Midterms have creeped back into the year already. I’m not particularly happy about it. I tend to get stressed out when it comes to big assignments and essays. Every time midterms or finals come around, I try to find things that will relieve my stress and make me more productive when I get back to working on the assignments. Here are some “Rachel-Approved” activities.
The first activity I recommend is to play with puppies. You simply can’t be stressed when playing with puppies. If you do not have a puppy, message a friend that has one and ask politely. Also, I would like to note that all dogs are puppies. All puppies deserve to have some playtime and wwbelly rubs.
Now, in the unfortunate event that you do not have puppy nor do any of your friends, eat some dark chocolate. Eating dark chocolate, which is over 70% cocoa, fights the stress hormone cortisol and has an overall relaxing effect on the body. Plus, chocolate releases endorphins which act as a natural stress fighter. So it’s really a win-win.
Another way to relieve some stress from assignments is planning some breaks outside of the library or your room. If you tell yourself to work really hard for a period of time and reward yourself with a break, you may just get a little more work done. Look to see if there are any sporting events going on and plan those into your schedule, or maybe RLA is putting on an event you want to go to. Schedule it in. Make dinner plans with your friends. You guessed it, schedule it in. I find I get much more done if I give myself a set time to get some work done then reward myself with something fun.
One last thing you can do for yourself during this stressful time is to not go overboard on the caffeine and try water or tea! I know far too often that many people drink tons of energy drinks or coffee near or on exam day. You can actually have withdrawal symptoms if you’ve been chugging three monsters every day for the last week. So be considerate for yourself and your body and try some herbal teas that have small amounts of caffeine. Try putting lemons or strawberries in your water. It isn’t just a good way to hydrate, but it also tastes delicious. This is extremely beneficial for your body and mind when it comes to concentrating and avoiding the side effects of caffeine.
I hope that this midterm time is not too terribly stressful and maybe you’ll get the chance to play with a puppy or two. Remember to try your best. Have faith in yourself. Good luck my friends!