How to Stop Stressing for Finals

Dear Friend,

With finals right around the corner, many of our classmates have been freaking out. Freshman seem to feel like this is an end-all in their high school experience, and some seniors are scared because this grade may determine their chance at college.

The best advice we can give you is this:

FEAR NOT.

Someone sent this to us in an e-mail around this time last year, and even though she said it offhandedly, we have used this as one of our guiding mottos. Fear Not has helped us navigate many situations. Some people will tell  you not to worry or stress over finals, but if you're anything like us, this just makes us more nervous, because we then feel like we should be more freaked out than we actually are, causing a terrible chain reaction. Fear Not takes a little different approach.

Finals do not determine your life. Sure, they are a big deal, but in the larger scheme of things, they are not something you should be afraid of. Life throws things at us that seem overwhelming, but if we just remember to breath, we can overcome more than we could if we hold our breath. Fear Not and trust yourself. Have confidence that you are going to A-C-E that test, and even if you don't, that is okay as well. Nothing life threatening will happen if you get a bad grade, so don't be afraid. You got this.

The worst thing you can do is stress yourself to the point where you actually do worse on the final because of your anxiety. We have both been in this position, and it is not fun. Make sure that you get enough sleep the night before-this is important. There is nothing worse than taking a test on material that you know, but being too sleepy to recall any of it. Drink tea before you go to bed, and when you wake up. We recommend some form of green tea in the morning, as this has caffeine that will wake you up, but just a little bit, unlike coffee which is sort of like being hit by an energy bus, and not in a good way. Coffee is great sometimes, but you should be calm and collected during your test.

Good luck!

Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine