Finals can be a stressful time for high schoolers. While studying and preparing for tests, it can get easy to lose sleep and become stressed out. It is important to remember to take a break and make yourself as comfortable as you can be during finals. Being stressed out will not help you pass your test and will only make it harder for you to focus.

Wearing uncomfortable clothes could make you even less relaxed while taking tests and studying at home. Try staying in your pajamas during those short school days or wear a hoodie in case you need to retreat into a dark place and tighten the draw string to block out the world. Hats can also be useful to hide any bedhead you didn’t want to brush out that morning.

Since snacks make everything better, grab some Ziplock bags before you go to school. Fill them with some easy snacks such as chips, candy, or cereal. Nothing messy. Slip them in your pockets and now you will have some snacks while you’re taking the test you’ve been dreading (COVID distanced of course). You might not want to bring anything too loud, just for stealth reasons.

If you’re feeling stressed out about your tests and the impact they have on your grade, the last thing you need is more stress. So set yourself up for success during finals week. Packing what you need for school the night before can prevent unnecessary stress in the morning while you’re getting ready.

No matter what you do this week, it’s natural to feel stress. Take comfort in knowing that there are many others on campus who feel that stress too. When it is your first finals week in high school, it is easy to make finals out to be much more intimidating than they really are. Although it’s no students favorite time, it’s not as bad as we make it up to be in our head.