The end of the semester is always a very stressful time for college students. Its the time where students are getting in any work that they may be late on, preparing for final tests, giving final presentations or working on final projects. Although college in general can be very stressful on a person, the last 2 weeks or so are definitely the worst. Depending on how many classes a student is taking, the work load can feel like its taking over your life. A Northern Essex liberal arts student, Sheryl Contarino said, “ I hate this time of the semester. I almost feel like I’m trying to do the whole entire class in one week. Obviously I’m not, but the work load and the stress load just makes it seem that way”.

Some students like to just sit down and study for hours on end, or sit down and just bang everything out instantly and get it over with. Although everyone is different and has their own things that they like to do, there are some common ways to relieve stress. According to huffingtonpost.com, one good way to relieve stress is to exercise. Exercise helps you focus, it gives you additional energy and it releases endorphins to make you feel better. A northern essex  nursing student, Glorinette Calderone says, “ I love to go to the gym and exercise. It helps with relieving my stress so much, especially during finals week. I always try to make the time every day to go to the gym, even if it’s for a half an hour. It is a good break for me and I come out of the gym feeling like a new person”.

Another way to relieve stress witch may sound a little cliche is to just breathe. In moments when you feel your stress level is climbing, take a deep breath for four counts, hold it for four counts, and exhale for four counts. That is why whenever you would get upset when you were younger, your parents would always tell you, “ take a deep breath”. It is known to help calm a person down. A northern essex liberal arts major Maura Mccarthy said “ I am always taking deep breaths. Whenever I start to feel myself getting overwhelmed I tell myself to take a deep breath and relax. 9 times out of 10, it works for me. It’s something so simple that can take you a long way”.

Lastly, another very important key to relieving stress and succeeded during finals week is to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Sleep will improve the quality and retention of studying,even though you may have less study time. If you start to stay up too late studying and not getting enough rest, it could actually come back and hurt you because if you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not as alert as normal and you’re mood starts to go down when you’re not getting enough sleep. Of course, all these stress relievers may not work for everyone but, they may help you get through final week better and relieve all the stress that college students may have on their shoulders