For students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, finals week is quickly approaching. Seniors take their final exams the week of May 24 and underclassmen take their finals beginning on Fri. June 4.

As students start to prepare for their finals, several become stressed and struggle with the pressure of taking more than one exam back to back, with some exams being more difficult than others. There are numerous ways these feelings can be put at ease leading up to the testing week.

Before taking a test there are ten ways to help you prepare both mentally and physically, according to the Princeton Review. These include being prepared, getting a good night’s rest, eating well, arriving at your testing site early, having a positive attitude, just starting, reading everything carefully, watching the clock, not paying attention to other people and focusing on calm breathing.

Before going into anything, having a positive attitude helps get someone on the right track. Go into the exam with the mindset that you will pass, you know what you are doing, and you are ready.

During an exam, it is very easy to get distracted and worried based on what other people are doing. It may look like they know what they are doing or that they are writing way more; however, do not base your knowledge off of that.

Not only are their mental tips, but students can find various unique and physical ways to help them relieve stress.

Stretching to relax is a great way to help become calm and one with the mind. This can be done by warming up and then taking a slow stretch allowing your nerves to settle. Staying active is so important. Going for a run, riding a bike or lifting weights are all perfect ways to help keep the mind off of the tests and to help relax.

Another way to relax is by giving yourself a hand massage. A lot of tension builds up in the hands further spreading to the whole body due to the constant use of typing or writing, so relieving that tension is a quick and simple way to lessen the worry.

An additional way to ease finals week stress is to listen to music. Listening to calming music is one of the most commonly used methods to relieving stress because of its simplicity. Students just need to hit play and sit back, taking in all of the calming noises. Students can simply type in ‘relaxing music’ on the internet and a vast majority of options will show up. Applications such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music have pre-made playlists to help students relax.

While these methods may not work for every student, there are many additional alternative methods for students to stay relaxed and keep their anxiety levels down throughout the upcoming finals week.