Stress isn’t just a finals week problem. For many students, it builds quietly throughout the semester, then peaks just when the workload gets heavier. According to one campus counselor, the best strategy is simple: don’t wait for stress to overwhelm you—get in front of it.
“Managing stress works best when you build healthy habits on the front end,” said Anja Ford, a counselor at Emporia State’s Student Wellness Center. That means prioritizing real self-care, which is “more than face masks and pedicures.”
It’s the basics: getting enough sleep, eating regularly, staying hydrated and giving yourself time for genuine rest. That might look like spending time with friends, watching a show you love or making space for hobbies that keep you grounded.
Many students push through exhaustion or overcommit socially without realizing the toll it takes; Ford emphasized the importance of knowing your own limits and honoring them. But recognizing when you need rest—or when you need help—is a crucial part of staying well.
“Pay attention to what your body and mind are telling you,” she said.
She encourages students to check in with themselves regularly: Are you hungry? Dehydrated? Tired? Do you need a break, or a change of environment? Small adjustments, she said, often prevent bigger stress responses later. When it comes to academic stress, especially during finals, Ford recommends focusing on habits that keep you functioning.
“Don’t try to stay up all night and cram,” she said. “Make sure you’re still getting sleep, hydration, and rest.” Long, uninterrupted study marathons are also counterproductive—studying for eight hours straight can actually hurt retention.
Instead, she suggests building breaks into your schedule: step outside for a walk, grab a snack, chat with a friend, or briefly do something enjoyable before returning to your work. Your brain needs time to reset.
As deadlines pile up, balancing responsibilities becomes harder. Her advice: combine academic and social time.
“Study with a friend—or, if that’s distracting, study somewhere with other people,” she said. “It keeps you from feeling isolated.” Even small shifts, like working in the library, a coffee shop, or common space, can make the workload feel lighter.
Again, she emphasizes the importance of building breaks into your study time. Effective studying is less about the number of hours and more about how well you can focus during them.
For students who get anxious before or during exams, she recommends grounding techniques like deep breathing or box breathing. A small fidget can also help regulate the nervous system.
But if the anxiety becomes overwhelming, she wants students to know they’re not alone. If a student “needs a separate testing environment because they can’t handle being in the classroom,” she said, Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) can help arrange accommodations.
Most importantly, she urges students to trust themselves and not underestimate their potential.
“You probably know more than you think you do walking into that room …Don’t psych yourself out. You’re in college for a reason. You know more than you think you do,” she said. “The more you can relax, the better you’re going to do.”
