Mental Health 2: Coping with Exam Stress
Hello my beautiful friends!
This is only my second mental health post and I aim for this blog to be about both academia and mental health equally. I do hope to post more mental health-related posts in the future, especially as I have just started CBT again.
Stress is a natural aspect of exams and, since exam season is upon us, I have decided to share my own tips about how to reduce stress during exam season. As someone with existing mental health problems, I understand how mental health can deteriorate during exam season, so I am here to offer advice about looking after your mental health during exam season too.
Your mental health is your priority.
I hear this advice often and I cannot stress this enough. Your mental health IS your priority! There is the opportunity to re-take exams and I talk about this below, but you cannot 're-take' your well being. If you are feeling low, reach out to teachers, family and friends and, if you feel too mentally exhausted to revise, don't force yourself to revise.
This exam is not the end of the world.
Of course, it is important to revise for exams and do well in exams; however, a bad exam result does not determine your future. This really helped through exam season. The idea that I can re-take exams if necessary or the option of alternative routes such as college, an apprenticeship or a different university really rested my mind.
Do not be discouraged by one 'bad' exam.
Equally, if one of your exams goes 'badly', do not let this affect your other exams. It is okay to feel sad and cry after a 'bad' exam; however, let this mourning last a few hours, and then motivate yourself to revise for your next exams. In reality, you probably have not failed as much as you're imagining and you cannot change the past, so focus on smashing the next exams.
Sleep is your friend!
It is tempting to pull all-nighters during exam season or stay up late revising; however, this is often counter-productive. If you work more effectively during the morning, like me, I suggest waking up at around 6.00am/7.00am, which means you must be in bed by 10.00am/11.00am to achieve 8 hours of sleep (include at least an hour before your bedtime to 'wind down' doing activities such as yoga or reading). If you're more productive during the evening, try staying up later, but ensure you still achieve 8 hours of sleep. If you are tired the following day, you will not work effectively, and thus this is counter-productive.
Eat and drink.
During exam season, it is important to eat regular wholesome meals since being hungry can make revision less productive. Healthier food such as wholemeal carbohydrates and fruit & veg is more beneficial for productivity, so ensure your meals are filled with these and choose healthy snacks such as fruit & veg instead of chocolate. Equally, I recommend you drink at least 2l of water per day because this contributes towards good brain function. I have a 1l bottle of water in my revision space, so I am constantly reminded to drink and I do not have to take time out of my revision to get water.
You do not have to revise constantly.
Do not give up your extracurricular activities, socialising or Netflix during exam season. In moderation, having breaks from your revision to go out with your friends or watch Friends on Netflix ensures you stay concentrated during revision periods. If you constantly revise, you risk getting distracted and having more unproductive revision sessions, so revision breaks are essential.
Alternate nostril breathing.
This tip may seem a bit random, but this yoga breathing exercise really helped me through exam season. I am not a massive yoga fan; however, this exercise truly reduces nerves and anxiety because you must focus your mind on your breathing. There are many Youtube videos, which will take you through this technique. You can find one of these videos here.
I hope this post is useful for those taking exams currently. It is slightly rushed, so comment any additional tips and feel free to contact me or dm me for more tips and advice!
This is only my second mental health post and I aim for this blog to be about both academia and mental health equally. I do hope to post more mental health-related posts in the future, especially as I have just started CBT again.
Stress is a natural aspect of exams and, since exam season is upon us, I have decided to share my own tips about how to reduce stress during exam season. As someone with existing mental health problems, I understand how mental health can deteriorate during exam season, so I am here to offer advice about looking after your mental health during exam season too.
Your mental health is your priority.
I hear this advice often and I cannot stress this enough. Your mental health IS your priority! There is the opportunity to re-take exams and I talk about this below, but you cannot 're-take' your well being. If you are feeling low, reach out to teachers, family and friends and, if you feel too mentally exhausted to revise, don't force yourself to revise.
This exam is not the end of the world.
Of course, it is important to revise for exams and do well in exams; however, a bad exam result does not determine your future. This really helped through exam season. The idea that I can re-take exams if necessary or the option of alternative routes such as college, an apprenticeship or a different university really rested my mind.
Do not be discouraged by one 'bad' exam.
Equally, if one of your exams goes 'badly', do not let this affect your other exams. It is okay to feel sad and cry after a 'bad' exam; however, let this mourning last a few hours, and then motivate yourself to revise for your next exams. In reality, you probably have not failed as much as you're imagining and you cannot change the past, so focus on smashing the next exams.
Sleep is your friend!
It is tempting to pull all-nighters during exam season or stay up late revising; however, this is often counter-productive. If you work more effectively during the morning, like me, I suggest waking up at around 6.00am/7.00am, which means you must be in bed by 10.00am/11.00am to achieve 8 hours of sleep (include at least an hour before your bedtime to 'wind down' doing activities such as yoga or reading). If you're more productive during the evening, try staying up later, but ensure you still achieve 8 hours of sleep. If you are tired the following day, you will not work effectively, and thus this is counter-productive.
Eat and drink.
During exam season, it is important to eat regular wholesome meals since being hungry can make revision less productive. Healthier food such as wholemeal carbohydrates and fruit & veg is more beneficial for productivity, so ensure your meals are filled with these and choose healthy snacks such as fruit & veg instead of chocolate. Equally, I recommend you drink at least 2l of water per day because this contributes towards good brain function. I have a 1l bottle of water in my revision space, so I am constantly reminded to drink and I do not have to take time out of my revision to get water.
You do not have to revise constantly.
Do not give up your extracurricular activities, socialising or Netflix during exam season. In moderation, having breaks from your revision to go out with your friends or watch Friends on Netflix ensures you stay concentrated during revision periods. If you constantly revise, you risk getting distracted and having more unproductive revision sessions, so revision breaks are essential.
Alternate nostril breathing.
This tip may seem a bit random, but this yoga breathing exercise really helped me through exam season. I am not a massive yoga fan; however, this exercise truly reduces nerves and anxiety because you must focus your mind on your breathing. There are many Youtube videos, which will take you through this technique. You can find one of these videos here.
I hope this post is useful for those taking exams currently. It is slightly rushed, so comment any additional tips and feel free to contact me or dm me for more tips and advice!
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