4 things you should do to keep sane during exam preparation

It is no secret that closer to exams students tend to go completely haywire. The last week

before the exam is the most stress-inducing and it is easy to lose touch with reality when you are immersed in a plethora of books and information.

As the exam date approaches, I find myself becoming more irritable, catty, and argumentative. I want to be left alone and would rather just stay holed up inside my room, even during the short self-assigned breaks. Slowly, I’ve come to realize how detrimental

this is for both my mental and physical health.

It is not okay to overwork yourself to the point where you do not realize that your behavior is not only affecting yourself negatively but also those around you. I have noticed that because I become harder to deal with during exam season, my parents and siblings

have an additional burden as well because at the end of the day, we live in the same house and the entire atmosphere is affected.

This problem really bothered me for a while before I started looking for possible solutions.

Through my research and experiments, I found quite a few things that I needed to change and

I’ll list them down below, so you guys have something substantial to help you during those trying days as well!:

1. Do not leave exam prep for the last minute:

This one is a no-brainer, honestly. You've probably heard it countless times before and so had I, but I was still too lazy to really change things. Over the course of my second year, I started covering course content side by side with the actual module as it was going on. This helped me keep track of and familiarize myself with the syllabus. This also allowed me enough time to revise and review the entire syllabus once again during the leave for the semester exam. This is a major thing that I changed from the first year to the second year and the results were there for me to see whether my little experiment worked! My grades from the second year are much better than my

grades from the first year!

For this tip, you will need:

• Massive motivation

• To overcome laziness (this is the toughest, in my opinion)

2. Make a schedule & STICK TO IT

I think my main problem before was sticking to a certain schedule that I made and the root cause of that, as I figured out, was procrastination. To combat procrastination (which usually

results in hours of scrolling through apps), I suggest downloading apps on your phone that once activated, prevent you from being able to use other distracting apps such as Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Some of these apps include:

• Offtime,

• BreakFree,

• Moment,

• Flipd

Scheduling really helps to make the most of the limited time that we have in the days before the exam. It helps you maximize productivity and minimize time wasted. Spend a good amount of time scheduling to ensure that there are no gaps and you are able to fit everything in.

For this tip you will need:

• The apps mentioned above

• A good scheduling format to follow

3. Focus on your mental and physical health

This one is the most important, in my opinion. You come first, no matter what. It is imperative for you to be in the right headspace to be able to do well in an exam or even give the exam in the first place. Take fifteen to twenty minutes out to meditate, move your muscles around, exercise, go for a walk to clear your thoughts and rejuvenate. This will all amount to increasing your productivity and therefore, should not be considered as a waste of time. I would even go as far as to say that during your breaks, make sure to watch a bit of your favorite show to fully keep sane and grounded. Remember, doing well in an exam is great but not at the cost of your health. You need to be able to function. Eat well, treat yourself from time to time, stay hydrated and SLEEP ON TIME. If you are well-rested, you’ll be able to work at your maximum capacity.

For this tip you will require:

• Self-love

• To be kind to yourself

4. Talk to those around you

In stressful times, it is easy for one to bottle up all feelings and frustrations and let them build up. This is extremely unhealthy and does not end well. It is essential for the right mindset to convey whatever it is that you’re feeling to people who care about you. Numerous research articles show that talking stuff out is one of the healthiest ways to refresh your mind. This really helped me tone down the cattiness and the irritability that would come with exam season. I had a healthy outlet for my emotions, hence, I did not resort to anger or attitude.

For this tip you will need:

• A reliable shoulder to cry on

• Some courage to help you speak up about whatever it is that you are feeling

These are the main things that helped me curate a better pre-exam period for myself. Adding these changes and setting up a routine is what helped me at the end of the day and I hope that it will help you all, too. You just need some faith, some motivation, and a whole lot of self-love to be able to implement these, and trust me, you will thank yourself for making your own life much easier. Apart from that, you will see the results in your shining grades as well. Good luck!