With it being the last month of the school year, May can be very stressful for students as semester tests and AP tests start to approach. With May also being National Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States, it is very important to not only prioritize studying, but also prioritize mental health and well-being. 

As a student in stressful classes, such as Accelerated Chemistry, that have high workloads and frequent quizzes and tests, the end of the semester means cramming in as much studying as possible in order to succeed in these classes. I have found myself not only counting the days until my semester test, but also calculating the specific test scores I must get in order to raise my grade before the semester ends. Doing this not only forces me to live up to an unrealistic standard, but it also causes high amounts of stress and anxiety. Finding a balance between resting and letting your mind recharge, while also studying and preparing for your next test is extremely difficult and is not very easily done. 

Ways that I like to keep my mental health in check and avoid stressing myself out during the end of the year for semester tests include:

• Taking breaks between study sessions:

Taking breaks while studying helps with avoiding burnout and keeps motivation intact. Burnout is a huge problem many students face by overworking themselves and not taking enough time away from their desks and textbooks. Taking breaks and making the studying process less time consuming makes the process of studying far more enjoyable than trying to knock it all out in one session.

• Staying involved in activities:

Focusing on activities along with schoolwork keeps you busy and your mind distracted from the stresses of the end of the semester. Instead of constantly studying and neglecting the activities that you are passionate about, keep participating in them to not become so consumed in school work and studying.

•  Getting enough sleep:

Getting a full night’s sleep allows your mind to reset and helps you to stay focused during class in order to succeed in your classes. According to the National Library of Medicine, getting enough sleep will improve mental functioning and therefore improve performance on tests. Taking tests on less than the recommended eight hours of sleep puts me on edge and it’s very difficult for me to focus on the task at hand. 

• Make a list:

Making a list of tasks is a good way to keep track of things that have to be accomplished during your day. Being able to cross off a task and seeing the to-do list get smaller and smaller not only makes getting through the to-do list easier, but it decreases my stress by allowing me to be able to physically remove a task from the agenda.