How to win at wellbeing, not just exams

Not long after my name appeared on the list of CTA prizewinners, people started asking me for technical tips. Recently, with it being Mental Health Awareness Week, I've had some more questions on how to manage your mental health while you're studying for a professional qualification. Well, as promised, here are my top tips for not letting your studies hurt your mental wellbeing:

1?? Give yourself permission to sound stupid.

Asking questions is daunting. Especially when you think you should know better. ?? However, your tutor is there to help you improve your technical knowledge and exam technique, and if you already knew all of that, why did you sign up for a course in the first place?

Allow yourself to ask that question that you're worried might make you sound stupid. The more embarrassed you feel, the more vividly the correct answer will burn into your memory, so lean into those feelings of anxiety and repurpose them for good.

2?? Know when to call it a day.

If you're studying for a professional qualification, you're probably working full-time, which means?a lot is going on in your head before even considering your personal life. We all have a variable limit on how much data we can squeeze into our brains each day, and when we hit that limit, it can be tempting to plod on, especially if you think you're behind with your study plan and are starting to panic a little.

However, staring at a screen without taking anything in is much worse than acknowledging your brain is done for the day. Not only do you not learn anything, but you feel guilty about not learning anything. You can spiral away into increasingly negative thoughts, which prevent you from sleeping well and then make the following day even harder.

When your brain stops taking things in, write off the day and do something relaxing and low-effort, such as watching a favourite sitcom on Netflix. Tomorrow's another day.

3?? Get a study buddy!

No one understands better how awful studying is than someone else studying for that same exam in that same sitting! Finding one or two people with similar circumstances is generally more manageable than forming a big group. Having just one study buddy rather than a large study group means you can provide better quality mutual support.

Check in with each other throughout the course to make sure you're both staying on top of your studies and share how you're feeling. You'll both have ups and downs, probably at slightly different times, and chatting with a peer is a great way to let some of the stress out.

Pro tip: you can talk about how you found the actual exam in general terms, but resist the urge to share too many details about how you answered it. You won't have tackled it the same way; that kind of chat will leave you anxious until results come out.

4?? Get strict about setting a work-life balance.

If you're early in your career, your line manager should have your back and make sure you can get away on time to study rather than doing overtime. (If this doesn't feel the case, have a chat.?Your manager might?not?have?realised?that other people are pushing and pulling you in different directions.?Give them the chance to put it right.)

If you're late in your career, it's probably on you to have your own back as you'll be managing most of your workload yourself. If that's the case, get ruthless with blocking out time in your calendar as far in advance as possible. Allow yourself a certain amount of days that?you're able to?sacrifice for urgent work if it comes to it, but make sure you don't eat into your plan minimum.

A large part of exam stress comes from thinking you don't have enough time to do what you want, so spend some time at the beginning to create a proper plan.

5?? Remember, it's just an exam.

When you're a student (especially if you have a training contract hanging over your head), exams can feel like The Biggest Thing in the?World,?Ever. Honestly, they're not. Exam stress can be overwhelming, especially when you've been a high performer at school or university, but it can come for us all. The trick is to get some perspective and remember that there is more to life than when you can add a few letters after your name.

If you've reached the point where you can't see the wood for the exam-shaped trees, please talk to someone.

In no particular order, helpful people can include:

• Your tutor
• Your friends
• Your study buddy
• Your line manager
• Your work Mental Health First Aider
• Your family
• The Samaritans (call 116 123 anytime)

?? I'd love to know if these tips resonate with you. Feel free to message me if you'd prefer not to post a comment publicly.