by Scarlet Gratton
Contributing Author, a passionate writer, professional fashion, lifestyle, and health, expert
If you’re a student preparing for an exam, especially an important one, dealing with huge amounts of stress can sidetrack you and make it impossible for you to do your usual best. For this reason and in order to maintain your good health, it’s important to improve your wellness and deal with stress before it causes damage to your body, mind and academic success. Take a look at this good advice on how to do it.
A study in a tidy space
One way to relax and feel comfortable in your working space is by keeping it clean and tidy. If you’re surrounded by clutter and mess, it will distract you and prevent you from concentrating on what you have to do. And when you can’t study days before your exam, it can only lead to stress, and not the good kind of stress. So, use your drawers to put away anything you’re not using at the moment, remove any trash, such as empty food containers or bags and put away any photos or other objects that are only taking up space. Leave only the books and papers you need for the subject you’re currently working on and nothing else. Once you clean your desk and everything around it, you’ll be calmer and more focused, which will do wonders for your mental wellness.
Sort your notes out
If your notes are incoherent and chaotic, you might start feeling that way yourself once you try studying from them. This can leave you frustrated and prolong your work, which is why you should organize your notes well. Use highlighters in different colors, make flash cards or ask a friend for some help. In case you aren’t good at taking notes, there are some wonderful online solutions that can ease your mind. For example, Australian students can always rely on the concise and coherent VCE notes, which allow them to study efficiently and stress-free. Having good notes like these can actually save you a lot of time, and that time can be spent doing something enjoyable and useful for your health.
Change your scenery
During the pre-exam period, when you want to soak in as much knowledge as possible from your books and notebooks, you’ll spend most of your time indoors, bent above your desk. Not only can this take a toll on your mental health, but also your physical. This is exactly why you should find some time every day to spend outside, in the nature. Find a park or any other green area where you can take a walk and enjoy the fresh air, sunlight and the wonderfully soothing greens. Sunshine can boost your serotonin levels, making you feel happier and more optimistic, but it can also help your body absorb vitamin D, improving your overall health in the process. Plus, fresh air means more oxygen, enhancing the function of some of your vital organs, including the brain and the lungs, but also your blood pressure.
Tend to your physical wellness
It’s easy to forget some essential things when all your attention is aimed at your upcoming exams and the preparation for them. Things like skipping meals and physical inactivity can affect your health in a negative way, so make sure you eat regularly, that your meals are nutritious and fresh, and that you don’t just binge on junk food and unhealthy snacks when you finally realize you’re hungry. Find time during the day to be physically active, meaning that you should at least take a 20-minute walk once or twice a day, or do some exercises in your own room. Stay hydrated, avoid excessive smoking and, most of all, make sure you sleep well, for at least seven or eight hours a night. Only this way will you be able to completely focus on studying and to actually memorize what you’re reading.
As important as your exams are, bear in mind that your own wellness and self-care should always come first. When you’re physically and mentally healthy, you’ll be able to ward off stress and study effectively and the results of that will be evident once you see your exam outcome.
Scarlet is a passionate writer, co-editor at ripped.me and regular contributor at mylifewithnodrugs.com interested in fashion, lifestyle, and health. She loves traveling, you could say that she is a real travel addict, especially when she has a chance to visit some exotic destinations. She would tell you that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places.
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