That’s right everyone, midterm season is among us. Midterms are often a scary time for students, but it doesn’t have to be! Instead of giving you a bunch of study tips you have probably heard a million times, I have compiled the ultimate list of TV shows, movies, books and music to help you while you study (or not study).
TV Shows
Studying for midterms can be so gruesome and sometimes you just need a break. For me, I like to put on a good comfort show to help relieve my stress and anxiety. Two shows that I think are perfect for that are “Gilmore Girls” and “Friends.” You can use these two shows as a break from studying, but you could also use them as background noise. I also think that any sitcom could do the job, or any TV show you have seen a lot.
Movies
Similar to TV shows, you can watch movies! You can either give yourself a break with a nice movie or use it as background noise. Think about your favorite comfort movies, those would be perfect for this. If you don’t have any that come to mind, you can steal my personal favorites. “Clueless,” “13 Going on 30” and “The Parent Trap” are three of my favorite movies that I would totally use as background noise. Also, I think that any Disney movie or a movie from your childhood would serve this purpose.
Books
With books, you can’t really use them as background noise because you can’t read and study at the same time. However, curling up with a good book is a great way to relieve stress in your life, especially during midterm season. Some of my favorite comfort books are “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han and “Better Than the Movies” by Lynn Painter. I would also throw in the entire Harry Potter series. Reading is a great way to get your mind off of all those gruesome exams and papers you have to do. It’s important to take time for yourself and not work 24/7.
Music
Something you can do while studying is listen to music. I love to have music playing while I’m doing homework or when I’m working on a paper. My preference is to listen to slower, calmer songs, rather than rap or upbeat pop—but that is just me. Two albums I love to listen to while studying are “Folklore” by Taylor Swift and “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers.
Also, as weird as this sounds, I love listening to classical and instrumental music while studying. I find myself listening to “Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker” all the time. It’s very relaxing and soothing and definitely helps me focus. I would advise finding a great album or creating a study playlist to help you during exam season.
If you are feeling stressed about your exams and school work, I hope you can use this advice to release some of that tension. What works for some people might not work for others, so I wanted to give you a lot of options. Good luck with your exams, and if you already took them, finals season will be here before you know it!
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