By Nikki Rodriguez

Finals are inevitably creeping closer. While I personally am more excited that school ends so early for Christmas break, finals are also causing a little stress.

Rather than laying out a study plan, here are some ways to drop off the overwhelming stress. Stress will only distract from studying and prevent an effective use of time. Try these ways of keeping your head while prepping for finals:

1. Go green. Green tea, or even black, served hot is shown to reduce stress. Coffee, on the other hand, raises the level of stress hormones, and avoiding it before finals week will keep you more relaxed.

2. Listen to your favorite slow song (try some of the slow stations on Pandora). Music with a slow tempo can slow the beating of your heart. Also, listening to 30 minutes of classical music has been proven to have the effect of taking 10 mL of Valium. (Don’t take Valium.)

3. Take a break to exercise. Yoga or peaceful exercises that incorporate breathing work best. If you don’t feel like you have enough time to hit the gym, then just take a quick walk around the block.

4. Eat oranges. If you’re running late to school, grab an orange or orange juice on the way out as oranges keep your blood pressure at normal levels.

5. Take a nap. Naps are an excellent way to refresh during the day and have numerous health benefits.

6. Laugh out loud. Laughing releases hormones that will leave you more positive and relaxed. Watch a funny show or hang out with friends to laugh away the pressures. For an extremely weird way of laughing, check out WikiHowl, a site dedicated to funny how-to guides, such as How To Have Thanksgiving When the Host Has a House Goat and How To Survive a Tornado.

Which of these works best for you? What weird things do you do to de-stress?