Guest post from Rach Talks Business
Self-care is often pushed to the bottom of our priority list around exam season as we have about a hundred other things to think about and a massive workload. However, self-care should always be a priority and finding the balance of revising while maintaining a positive self-care routine will not only benefit your mind but will also benefit your grades too. I have devised a list of how to maintain self-care throughout your exams and tips that I have found useful over my three years at university.
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| Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash |
Self-Care Tip 1: Ensure you are getting enough sleep
Exam season is extremely tiring on both your mind and body. It is so important to have at least eight hours of sleep every night and properly rest your head. This will also help to improve your concentration. Try to keep the times you go to and get out of bed consistent as this will benefit your concentration and keep your body in a regular and positive routine.
Self-Care Tip 2: Study at a Desk
It is so tempting to work and write your essays from the comfort of your warm and cosy bed, but this will massively prevent you from getting adequate rest. It can be harder to switch off if you do your work in bed. Let your desk be your ‘study and concentration area’ and your bed be your ‘calm and relaxing area’. Associate each with different things so you can easily switch off and rest when you need it.
Self-Care Tip 3: Plan Plan Plan
The more organised you feel, the less stressed you are. Schedule a revision timetable around your exams. This includes planning breaks and allocating enough time for each subject. Implement this until you find the perfect schedule that works in ensuring you balance your revision and your self-care routine.
Related: 6 Tips to Stay Productive and Organised at University
Self-Care Tip 4: Stay off Social Media
Social media can be a toxic place at times and spending too much time on social media can lead us to believe what we are doing isn’t good enough. It is important not to compare your revision or exam results to anyone else’s. We need to have our own goals and focus completely on them.
Self-Care Tip 5: Eat Healthy Food
Around exam season it is so easy to consume your body with junk food to give you quick energy. Many people, including myself, also tend to eat unhealthy food such as chocolate when they feel nervous. Maintain a nutritious diet to keep your mind active in the right way. A sugar rush will burn out eventually leaving your body feeling tired.
Also, if you are a coffee drinker, you should also try to limit the amount of caffeine you put into your body around this time. Although caffeine can be useful in moderation, it can stress you out more and keep your body way too active when you are trying to sleep. Try herbal tea instead. The properties of herbal tea allow for relaxation of the mind and offer properties of comfort and relaxation before the night of an exam.
Self-Care Tip 6: Exercise When You Can
Another simple way to relax your mind and switch off from revision is to do some exercise. Think about maintaining a light exercise routine though your exams such as a daily walk or jog. I personally like to do a couple of hours revising and then exercise on my revision break. This will help to refresh your mind and keep you feeling both energised and motivated to continue your studies.
Conducting meditation can also be super helpful for some people. There are different meditation apps you can use to calm your body and mind when your feeling stressed.
Self-Care Tip 7: Reach out to your support system
It is common to feel anxious and overwhelmed around exam season and there is no harm in admitting when you are struggling. My post Simple Anxiety Tips for Isolation provides some general tips to help ease anxiety around anxious periods.
Reach out to your friends, family and teachers for help if you are feeling down and stressed out. They will be able to help in making you feel calm and happy again and may have solutions to offer you.
Often around exam season, your friends are suffering from similar feelings and it can be so helpful to share your experience with them and be honest. Allow them to listen and encourage you to be the best you can be.
Self-Care Tip 8: Reward Yourself
Reward yourself, not for the grade you may receive but for the work you have put in. After each exam treat yourself. Buy yourself some new makeup bits or a little spa day. You have worked so hard regardless of the outcome.
Always remember your exam results do not define you as a person and you should always put your mental health first. Never burn yourself out. You are your own priority and if you try your best, there is no more you can do. Massive thank you to Tash for letting me guest post on her lovely blog and I hope you have found these tips useful!
About the Author:
Hi, I’m Rachel from Rach Talks Business! Since graduating I have been looking for ways, I can put my marketing knowledge to good use and decided to create a platform to support small, independent businesses through the pandemic. I formed Rach Talks Business in March and have been building my blog ever since. My blog covers a large range of topics from mental health to blogging tips!
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Love this post! It’s really effective to study on your study desk instead your cozy, soft duvet. Agreed with all the points. I’m also thinking that to maintain sleep hours is crucial to prevent mental fatigue and stay healthy. Thanks for sharing this!