To be or not to be the conventional goal achiever, society puts a lot of pressure on children and young adults to academic excellence and achieve good marks in every exam the student undertakes. While it is important to give your 100%, sacrificing your mental health in the process ultimately results in complete burnout and renders you unable to function healthily and productively. Hence it is important to maintain a balance of work and rest in the process of achieving your goals.
Here are certain steps that can help you maintain your mental health during exams. One of the most stressful periods of the school year is exam season, but there are steps you can take to prevent burnout. These are our suggestions.
- Create a strategy Making a plan for how you'll approach exam revision is the first step in any revision process. Determine how much of the time you can devote to each subject and how long you have till each exam. As much as you can, break it down topic by topic. Even though it may seem like a lot of work, the effort is worthwhile. that. Sitting in front of a computer or a stack of books and not knowing where to begin or if you even have the time to finish it all is one of the most daunting aspects of exam revision. Having a well-defined schedule that includes due dates for practice exams and check-in points for each subject will help you stay away from this and boost your confidence while you revise.
- Really, schedule time for meaningful breaks. Breaks are the most crucial element you can include in your revision plan. No, this isn't a joke. Research indicates that intentional pauses lasting anywhere from five to sixty minutes can enhance your energy levels, work output, and concentration., We also don't mean taking a break to browse through your phone. Researchers gave a group of undergrads a series of difficult word puzzles to solve, and when they were permitted to take phone breaks, their performance suffered greatly! Making time for yourself to unwind, whether it's by scheduling quiet walks during the day or ending work at a specific time to watch Netflix in the evening, will only become more crucial.
- Establish a study group. Having a support system of friends and family around makes exam season much easier. Study groups not only help you stay motivated, but they can also support you in taking breaks when needed, help you de-stress when you're stressed, and be the first to tell you when they see that you're not taking care of yourself. Why not see if anyone else in the evening wants to go to the library with you?
- Pay attention to your body. We understand how alluring it can be to forget when you last had a glass of water and to only eat from the library vending machines when you're in the thick of revision. However, since it's bad for your body, it must also be bad for your brain! When you're hungry, eat, and when you're tired, rest. Consider it. Your mind is constantly "on." It looks after your thoughts and actions, respiration and heart rate, and senses — it works tirelessly around-the-clock, even when you're asleep. This implies that your brain needs fuel to function continuously. You obtain that "fuel" from the foods you eat, and the contents of that fuel are what really matter. To put it plainly, your diet has a direct impact on your brain's composition and physiology, which in turn influences your mood. As you revise, schedule time for healthy meals and sip plenty of water. Making a hot meal for yourself can be a wonderful way to unwind, and as an international student in particular, comforting yourself with a familiar and beloved meal from home can be especially helpful when you're anxious about tests.
- Preserve your peace of mind both before and after each exam. We've all been there: you're standing outside the exam room going over your notes when someone who is equally anxious as you are, starts asking you questions and making you feel even more anxious. It's advisable to calm down and prepare to concentrate during the crucial minutes before an exam begins, as they can be among the most stressful. Move away from someone close to you if they're making you anxious, or let them know that. It's the same story after exams as well. There is nothing more you can do once you exit the exam room, so avoid spending time discussing each response with your peers. Instead, get some well-deserved rest.
- When your anxiety becomes overwhelming, get help. Ultimately, a large portion of the anxiety you will experience during exam season is understandable and normal. You want to perform well, and if you're a scholar, you probably have high expectations for yourself. But it's also critical to periodically assess whether your worries are becoming unmanageable by asking yourself. Please get help from someone if you're not taking care of yourself as you normally would—such as eating, sleeping, or seeing friends—or if you're experiencing panic attacks. This might be a family member, friend, or a student support representative.
Remember that after a short while, no one will recall asking or questioning about your grades. It's acceptable to not perform well on an exam; a scorecard does not determine one's fate in life. Your life ultimately depends on your capacity to persevere in whatever endeavour you choose.
