If you’re in college, you already know what week I’m talking about from the title. The last week of college before finals is unequivocally Hell for students of all majors. Winter break is right around the corner, sure, but the corner is also up a steep hill, covered in ice, and on fire. Oh, and you’ve probably got the flu and have five group projects and at least two seven page research papers to do before you can even start the climb.
So how do students do it? We ask ourselves the same question every semester. It’s never easy, but there are definitely ways to make Hell week a little less hellish. Hopefully some of my strategies can help!
1. Stay Focused
This tip is number one for a reason! Being focused and organized is the best way to avoid forgetting something important and scrambling to finish it at the last minute. This goes for the people who like to complete assignments ridiculously early, like me, as well as all you procrastinators out there. Yeah, it’ll be a little easier for the early birds, since they tend to get some of the big final projects out of the way early, but there are still shorter projects with deadlines to keep as well, and these stress everyone out.
In order to combat this stress, planning is essential. It can be as simple as creating a list on your phone with everything you need to complete each day, or as fancy as creating a bullet journal to keep track of assignments in style.
Violet Bell, a sophomore Professional Writing Major, is very passionate about the latter option. She runs a bullet journalling workshop at her school where she teaches her peers how to organize their lives in an aesthetically pleasing way.
2. Relax a Little
Stress can turn anyone into a mess if they let it. So don’t! Relaxation should be an essential part of your schedule in times of stress like Hell Week and finals week. You can relax in whatever way suits your individual needs, but some of my favorite ways to relax and the corresponding products are below. Please note that none of these are sponsored in any way. I am just passionate about these products and want to share them with you!
- Lush Sex Bomb Bath Bomb
- My absolute favorite non-seasonal bath bomb! It creates a beautiful pink bath with the relaxing scents of jasmine, sage, and ylang ylang. I recommend basically any Lush product because I’m obsessed, but this bath bomb is definitely my go-to.
- Kocostar Rose Flower Mask
- This is a great mask for pampering yourself in a way that makes you feel like royalty. They’re gentle, smell nice, and can be placed wherever an extra boost of moisture is needed!
- Bath & Body Works Body Butter
- Bath & Body Works is second only to Lush in my mind. Their body butters are a great deal and will always leave your skin smooth and not at all greasy. The variety of scents and sizes is a great bonus! You’re sure to find something you like.
3. Power Through
Sometimes relaxation and planning just don’t cut it. It’s these weeks that are the roughest of the rough, but it’s essential to remember that nothing lasts forever. You can get through this and make it to winter break! Just keep pushing through the pain and I promise you will get through it!
Good luck to all in this next week of Hell and the finals that come after!
