By Casey Colvin

Thanksgiving break is almost here! Gobble, Gobble! But, that means that dead week and finals are right around the corner, eek!

Here are some tips for surviving dead week and making finals week a little less stressful.

First, enjoy your turkey day! Take the day to relax and not worry about classes. I find it important to enjoy this break and not think about school stresses at all. I used to kid myself and take a bunch of work home to do on Thanksgiving break, and it would never happen, then I would just feel guilty.  Now, I recognize how important it is to just enjoy the time off and the good food.  After the break is over, you can return to your school work feeling refreshed an energized!

Remember to not wait until the last minute to get projects, papers, and other finals done. If you want a less stressful dead week, don’t procrastinate! Time management is critical this time in the term, so start developing your priority list now! If you want to learn how to develop a priority list, come to the finals preparation workshop in Gilkey 100 on Monday, November 26th at 5:30.

Take food breaks! This sounds obvious, but it is easily forgotten when you’re studying for multiple finals and spend all day at the library. Try to eat healthy; having fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not a good idea. Trust me!

Know what works for you. By now, you should have an idea of where you study best, so go there and get to work!

Get plenty of sleep! Yes, I am telling you to sleep, do not pull all-nighters. That’s just not healthy and not a good study habit to develop. Sleep has so many benefits; so don’t deny yourself this necessity!

Be calm! It is not healthy for you to have high levels of stress. Find a way to keep yourself calm, whether that is yoga, going for a run, or watching your favorite show.

Go to study groups! Make sure you study alone first so you have knowledge of the topic and can contribute to the group.

Turn off your social media! Facebook, Twitter, iPhone, or whatever you have. Yes I said it!! Keep in mind I am a media communications major, so when I am suggesting this you know it’s a big deal. They are VERY distracting and easily take away from your studies. I promise you’ll survive a few hours without it.

You are so close to the finish line, so give the next couple weeks your best effort and it’ll pay off. I guarantee it!

Happy Thanksgiving!