Alison Tobin ‘18
Editor-in-Chief
Finals week is approaching! While this creates much excitement over the anticipation of summer being right around the corner, it can also add stress to your routine with hurdles to jump before you get there. Here are some tips to help you stress less during the end of the semester and finals week:
- Play with dogs! – Animals are known to reduce stress in humans by increasing the hormone oxytocin that reduces stress and simultaneously decreases production of cortisol, which produces stress. Merrimack invited therapy dogs to come to campus on May 8th from noon to 1:30pm in the library, so make sure to take advantage of that.
- Make a to-do list and a calendar – To-do lists can keep you on track and also reduce your stress. But, it’s even better if you plan out a calendar to prioritize depending on when certain things are due.
- Get more sleep – You may feel like you need to skimp out on your hours of sleep in order to have enough time to complete your work. However, getting less sleep can reduce your level of productivity, thus making you more stressed.
- Take frequent breaks to recharge – Feel like you need to work on your projects non-stop until the end of the semester? Make time for breaks to recharge and refocus your mind to increase productivity and reduce stress. Go for a walk, go to the gym, or just take a breather for a few minutes.
- Take your work outside – If the weather is nice, get out of your dorm room or McQuade library and get some fresh air. Pick a nice spot on campus, such as by Mendel Pond, and do your school work outside.
