It is fair to say the heat in many of our lives has well and truly been turned up. The dreaded sound of those two little words, ‘senior’ and ‘year’, squashed together with references to the end of our higher education give the overwhelming feeling of dread. It almost hurts to think about the pressure storm that is heading our way so perhaps it is time to map out our route to calm as we tackle one of the most important years of our lives.
This year has to be all about balance. If you are starting to get worried, then check out these few reminders and do your best to have an element of all of them in your life.
Schedule
There is nothing better to help you balance your time than a touch of organisation. Use the first few weeks, as well as reflecting over what worked in the past, to plan ahead. Whether it is a regular nine to five day in the library or big study sessions in the evening, create a rough plan of when is best to spend a while in the library and when you are going to have a break from it all.
Fun
Years spent at University represent an incredibly significant landmark. Allow yourself nights out and trips to see friends in neighbouring towns as well as the more laid back movie nights and meals with housemates. Not only will these keep you sane when you have what feels like a million deadlines looming, they will also allow you to look back on your final year without thinking immediately of the library.
Home
They say home is where the heart is but university, travel and generally getting attached to people and places across the globe confuses this concept a little. I’m talking about home-home; the home where you find your family. Seeing them brings you back down to earth, out of the University bubble. Chances are, you will also tucking into some edible home comforts.
Food
You may have the best food you can possibly imagine when you head back home to your loved ones. However, when away this can go to pot. Trying to avoid a diet of take-away and alcohol will keep you on the straight and narrow. Of course, treat yourself once in a while; food should be enjoyed. Nevertheless, it is worth looking up some quick balanced recipes, like risotto, a good mixed salad, or vegetable stir-fry to fall back on to keep your body functioning well.
Exercise
We all know and sometimes neglect the fact that exercise keeps our minds in the right place. Even if speed walking to the shop for some milk or running round the block for a revision break the endorphins can give you a motivational kick. It could be the difference between a depressing study session and a productive one.
Focus
When it gets down to it, we can all be experts at procrastination. There is no time for that. Time wasted avoiding work could be better spent drinking coffee with friends or heading to the gym. If it is work time, turn your phone off and avoid all social media. It is a massive time saver. If it helps to have one space where you do all your work, then psychologically you may get into work mode that bit quicker.
Calm
In all the buzz and excitement of graduation, exams, dissertations and coursework, allow yourself some down time. Let that calm filter all the way through to your finals. We all know a panicking brain is not effective so take time away from work to just be. Some people find going to Church, yoga classes or simply heading out for a walk suffices to slow down the final year world. As ever, experiment and find what suits you.