OPINION: A few fun stress relievers for finals week

Opinion writers offer some of their favorite de-stress activities just in time for finals week. Photo of spiroglyphic coloring sheet courtesy of Hill.

Zoë Hill – News Editor & Emma Feldman – Contributing Writer

Finals week is running up on UD rather quickly, and we all know how stressful and draining wrapping up the semester can be. In preparation for the week to come, my roommate and I have come up with a list of our favorite and most effective de-stressors when it comes to college finals.

Zoë: This academic year has been challenging for everyone, and I have had my own personal struggles with roommates, balancing work and school, and being isolated on campus. Something that I have found that takes me away from all of that is cooking. My campus apartment came with a kitchen this year, and it forced me to cook way more than I usually would back home. Each week before going to the grocery store, I would decide on a new recipe I wanted to try, and I would snag the ingredients for it. For me, cooking allows me to have control. I can forget about all of the pending grades and exams when I cook. There’s this saying: “Cooking is an art; baking is a science,” and I live by that when I am stress-cooking. You can throw whatever you want into a pan, and something Snapchat-worthy is likely to come out. And hey, you get a delicious meal before diving back into studying. 

Emma: I find coloring to be an excellent escape from schoolwork. Sometimes I will sit down with a coloring book and colored pencils and just lose track of time. My most recent and most beneficial coloring task has been filling in spiroglyphics. When you print one of these out, it just looks like a big spiral. Depending on what the original image was, the lines of the spiral vary in width to form highlights and shadows. The best part about spiroglyphics is that they are so intricate that you have to focus intensely on them. It really helps me to get away from whatever is weighing down on me when I am desperately in need of a break. This week, Zoë and I decided to make a fun game out of it; we would each choose a picture for the other to color in, and we’d see who could figure out what the spiral was forming first.  

Emma: This one sounds simple, but I love to take a walk to clear my head. The campus is so beautiful right now, and the fresh air and exercise energize me for the rest of the day. I enjoy listening to a good playlist or podcast while I stroll campus. My favorite podcast right now is Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. Zoë enjoys Crime Junkie to get her mind off of finals. 

Zoë: Our final recommendation for surviving exam week is to treat yourself. Don’t be afraid to take a break when you need it. We reward ourselves with frozen yogurt once a week on Froyo Friday. It’s a little pat on the back for making it through the week, and it really helps motivate us to keep pushing through with the semester. It also gives us something to look forward to after a stressful week. We’ve racked up quite a few rewards points at Yogurt Mountain this year. 

Whether you try something new that we suggested or simply indulge in your own favorite hobby, make sure you are taking time for yourself this week and next. Self-care is important for your health and success, and we would argue that a little froyo goes a long way for a stressed-out student.

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