When you start to get those midterm sweats, the best antidote is organization. Do you have a mountain of studying and work to do to prepare? Take a deep breath. You can totally rock this.
Make a list. This sounds obvious, but sometimes it can feel weirdly hard to just ... write things down. Maybe because confronting the total amount of work you need to do is terrifying, but writing it all down will at least show you there's a finite amount of pain ahead of you. Write down every little thing you have to do, then knock off the easiest ones. Get ahead of it a bit. And breathe.
The 15-minute trick. If you feel stuck or writer's-blocked, here's a trick: Set the timer on your phone to 15 minutes. Then spend those minutes just writing or working on your most daunting task. Then take a break. Usually you'll find that 15 minutes was all you needed to get into a groove. And if not? Then you weren't ready to groove and you needed a break! Move on to something else that requires a little less intense focus.
Disconnect. Ugh, it's so hard. But, really, you're doing yourself a favor if you put your phone on airplane mode and just step away for a while. If it makes you feel better, give yourself permission to check your phone once an hour so you have something to work toward.
Write your own study guide. This will force you to evaluate all of the material through your own brain. Write down all of the points, ideas, and facts you know you need to know for the test. And feel free to show this guide to your teacher! With their endorsement of your guide, you'll know you're on the right track.
Be kind to yourself. This sounds like self-care fluff, but, really, you're not going to get anywhere berating yourself or stressing out. Pace yourself, celebrate victories (crossing an item off your list, memorizing that date, or finally getting the hang of that equation are all victories!), get some sleep, drink water, and do your best.
At Siena, we're a little obsessed with helping our Saints succeed. That's why we offer all kinds of services for students who want to rock their courses. Get in touch and we'll tell you all about it!
