10+ Things to Do to Cheer Yourself up After Finals

By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22

Finals are over! Great — but maybe you feel little less than ecstatic about how you did in certain classes. If that’s the case and you could use some advice on how to lift your spirits a bit, look no further.

1. Have a movie or TV marathon.

For those that love movies, this is probably a no-brainer, but if you’re not already binging all the Home Alone movies this very second, what’s stopping you? You finally have the free time for it, so why not? There are probably a couple of series and flicks you’ve been wanting to check out anyway, so now’s the time! 

2. Binge out on some of your favorite foods.

This is pretty self-explanatory and honestly, it’s one of the easiest ways to cheer yourself up. You’re probably already craving it and after like two weeks of deadlines, scantrons, and stress it is more than deserved.

3. Clean your space.

Maybe you left your room a little messy back home? 

Maybe it became less-than perfect during a crazy finals season? 

It’s completely fine if it did, but now that your priorities have lessened, now is the time to dust off those blinds, change the sheets, finish that last load of laundry and really breathe in some fresh air before the new year.

4. Hang out with your friends and family.

One of the best ways to rid yourself of the stress of a completed semester and all those to-be graded assignments (that are completely out of your control) is to relax with your friends and family in a completely non-school related way. Relish in all of the free time you have together. Have fun! Go out! Reconnect! Forget about school for a bit and just enjoy the break!

5. Sleep!

Everyone’s work habits are different, but there’s a likely chance you’ve been working nonstop these past two weeks to prepare for your finals and that means that you probably have not gotten the amount of sleep you actually need or want. If that’s the case, now you have plenty of time to catch up on some hours. There’s no shame in taking 1, 2, or however many days as needed to literally just sleep and recharge your battery after a bunch of restless nights.

6. Get rid of your old work.

If there is no longer a need to keep all of those old worksheets and test and papers around — get rid of them! Why hold on to reminders of the old semester that would only potentially remind you of stress? Whether online (delete it!) or physical (repurpose or recycle!), get rid of it! Regardless of whether your experience was good or bad in a specific class, it’s over and there’s no reason to hold onto the work if you’re not going to use it again. Give yourself space — physically and mentally — to refresh for the next semester and the new work that will come along with it.

7. Do some holiday shopping.

I personally love shopping for others, especially during the holidays. The displays and music are enough to make me at least stroll through the mall on it’s own, but spending the time to think about what your friends and family might enjoy makes it even better. 

Bonus: Thinking about others it makes it super easy not to think about yourself and all those not-yet-graded tests!

8. Go for a long walk.

Taking the time to just breathe in the outside world — away from the dining halls and brick buildings of USC — and really think about your lack of  assignments or work completely refreshes you. It’s a great reminder that there are things outside of school and now you can freely partake in them!

9. Plan for 2020.

Are New Years resolutions overrated? 

Maybe. 

Probably. 

Yes — but there’s a reason for it! Setting your goals or intentions for the new year is not a completely useless idea. Whether you’re making a full on vision board or just putting your new classes into your calendar, these things do end up making a difference! Even if it’s something small, try to do at least one thing that will set you up on a good foot for the new year.

10. Indulge in your hobbies.

Reading, writing, drawing, crafting, singing, dancing, baking, whatever it is — now you have the time to work on it! You could even learn something completely new if you wanted to. You have three weeks to indulge in whatever you didn’t have time to do over the school year, so just have some fun.

11. Explore the city!

If you happen to still be in Los Angeles over break, lucky you! Now you have time to explore all of the holiday-themed events LA has to offer. Back at home? Revisit all of those places you missed over the school year! Regardless of whatever city or town you’re in, get out and (re)explore it!

12. Treat yourself!

Whether it’s a facial, massage, haircut or whatever — you deserve a little bit of pampering, especially if you have been treating yourself less than perfect over the last couple of days. This is the time to turn your bad habits around and really do something nice for yourself! Give yourself the treatment you deserve.

13. Exercise.

Stressed about what grade you might get? 

Frustrated that you did not score as high as you’ve hoped? 

It’s completely normal to be worried about how well you did over finals, but once you turn in that last assignment, it really is completely out of your hands. Worrying about it does nothing for you. So instead of pulling your hair out, work it out! In addition to exercise just being really good for you, it is a known stress reliever and a great way to let out any pent up feelings.

14. Delete your alarms.

Oh, the satisfaction. 

No more dragging yourself out of bed for an 8AM. No more forcing yourself to work on 4 hours of rest. No more all-nighters with a looming deadline awaiting you in the morning. Your sleep schedule is now completely up to you, so delete those pesky alarms as you see fit.

15. Do absolutely nothing.

Hey, you have just spent the last 16 weeks working practically nonstop. If you genuinely want to just stare at the wall for 6 hours on end, there really is nothing stopping you.

Regardless of how your grades turn out, be proud of yourself for completing a semester. You did it, and you’re well deserving of a break before you move onto the next.

Happy Holidays!

Want more from Trojans 360?

Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.