Exam Stress.

So although I'm not up for Uni, exams still hang pretty heavily on my back. I'm not one for keeping my cool and staying calm throughout times of stress and sometimes find it pretty hard to cope.

With my final schooling exam period expected later this year, sitting my January modules definitely reminded me of what to expect: Lack of (restless) sleep, lack of social life, quick fuses, a bad diet, headaches... the list goes on. So I decided to compell a list of things to do to make my time a little more manageable:

• Manage time appropriately and realistically! I'm not one for waking up at the crack of dawn and being enthused about anything, so thinking 'oh I'll squeeze it in the morning before I go and ..... ' is only going to end up in me sleeping through revision time and feeling on edge and guilty for the rest of the day.
• Drink plenty! With past papers being located online, and not wanting to waste paper, I often find myself staring at screens for hours on end. Dehydration increases the ease at which you develop headaches and migranes... Things you definitely want to avoid whilst trying to concentrate on enriching your brain...
• Have a balanced and nutritous diet. If life temporarily consists of staying at home, sitting in the same position all day, going to sleep, waking up, and then retreating back to that same position, burning lots of calories seems somewhat unrealistic, so it is important to avoid foods that make you feel bunged up and groggy (you also don't want to spend all your time worrying about body issues on top of work stress), but do not starve yourself! The body doesn't function well if its craving basic nutrients and when giving your brain an intense workout, it needs efficient fuel.
• Find a way of working that suits you. Some people enjoy reading, some enjoy listening, some enjoy watching, some enjoy doing. Whether it's one of the above or all of the above, if you revise in a way that doesn't suit you, theres no way the info is gonna stick. I personally find highlighting and re-wording the most useful. Highlighting means I can think back and imagine my page when tryign to remember important points and re-wording means that I dont waste time in my actual exam because I already have ready to use material.
• Get up, get dressed and get ready for a productive day. I'm massivly guilty of lounging around in an incredibly ineffective 'revision slouch'. I would wake up, roll my eyes because I know I've got so much revision to do, and then roll over to grab my laptop and notepad... and then get barely anything done. I never used to allow myself to energize and grab revision by both horns. By waking up, refresing yourself and moving to a setting in which you're not usually chilling at, you are much more likely to be focused and concentrated on working. Make revision your daily event.
• Turn your phone OFF. There's no real immediate need to know what new dog Miley Cyrus is Instagramming, or what friend has lost their numbers and created a facebook page. That can all wait. Getting rid of distractions and temptations means your time is more productive, and you can sooner get your work itenirary over with and then have a bit of 'me time'.
• Do not overestimate yourself. Do not compare yourself to the Einstein that sits infront of you in class. Be realistic when thinking about what you can do. There is no way you can learn everything overnight, so spread yourself out. Don't start your revision last minute and cram everything in to one session. Start early so you're able to go at a steady pace and actually take everything in instead of skimming it all over.
• Prioritise. This kind of co-incides with my tip of turning your phone off. Skip that odd night out... There will be more. I'm sure your friends will understand, and (should) want you to do well.
• Do not stress! What I hate most about myself during exam time is how worked up I get about it. If you don't know a few things in the actual exam, it's not the end of the world. But if you spent the amount of time resiting a few useful quotes or facts in your mind instead of worrying, you're much better off. Don't worry, don't get worked up, just b r e a t h e.

At the end of the day, you can only do what you can do...but you can do it. :)

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