While December is the most wonderful time of the year filled with lots of joy and holiday cheer, it is also the most stressful time of the year for university students across the country and no doubt filled with lots of cries and sorrows. Exam season is officially upon us, and whether you’re on top of your game with review or still writing notes from week three (it’s okay), there’s no denying that you’re starting to feel the pressure of all the content, formulas and theories you still have to memorize. Exam season is stressful. That is a known fact.
It’s the time of year where all students are pulling all-nighters, trying to figure out what the hell they learned throughout the semester, and trying to cram as much information as they can into their heads. The stress is creeping in, and it’s so easy to get swallowed by it all. With all our cue cards, our endless pages of notes, and our review problems we have to do, it can all be incredibly overwhelming.
But that’s exam season for you. Definitely not as merry and bright as this season should be. Stress is normal during this time, but here are seven ways you can keep your cool during this dreadful season.
1. Make a tentative study schedule
This can help tackle the bulk of the causes of your stress. Being organized can do wonders, especially when there are so many things you have to remember and complete. I personally always find that making a rough study schedule helps me figure out all the chapters I have to study and what content I have to cover on which day. It really helps to just lay out all the things you still need to study and once you figure out how much you have (it’s usually a lot more than you think it is), you can figure out how much to allot for each day and how many days in advance you have to start hitting the books. When you make the schedule, it’s really important that you don’t let it be another cause of stress, so make it realistic! Don’t assume you can cover 10 chapters of your textbook in a day, because chances are that you won’t be able to. Schedule for yourself a good amount of work you think you can tackle. And always remember that the study schedule is just tentative – you can change it based on how the first few days of your studying goes! Your goal is to just map it out, and stick to the plan.
2. Eat goood food (with friends!)
Sometimes, the to-dos can just pile up and you can forget to eat. One of the best ways to keep your cool during the exam season is to take some study breaks and go for food with friends, whether it’s on-campus or off. Not only will it just make you happier to see your friends again and catch up over a meal, but if you’re also eating well, you’ll find that you’ll perform so much better when studying and writing your exams too.
3. Sweat out the stress
I can’t stress how much working out helps with managing your stress. It’s like the perfect study break – you get your cardio in, you get a break from your textbook, and you’re staying healthy. No matter what you do – kickboxing, yoga, running, or weights – you’re giving yourself a well-deserved break and that daily dose of endorphins that everybody so desperately needs. So do yourself a favour: get out of your room and hop onto the treadmill for just 30 minutes. You’ll sweat it out and once you get back to studying, you’ll feel so much more refreshed.
4. Find YOUR playlist
Everybody needs their playlist. It’s the playlist that gets them in the zone. Once you press play, the stress just goes away and you feel light and happy. Whether it’s Taylor Swift, Drake, or Michael Buble’s Christmas album, you just need to find the music that you can listen to when you really need it. Once you find your playlist, you can listen to it in bed when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or even as you’re walking from home to the library or to your exam location. Even better: if you’re good with music while you study, it can be the perfect thing to keep you motivated to keep studying. Nothing beats deriving formulas while listening to your favourite tunes.
5. Meditate!
Meditation has so many physical and mental benefits. Even if you just do it for two minutes a day during the exam season, meditation can leave you feeling calm, self-aware and really collected. There’s a really great app called Insight Timer on the app store that provides a meditation timer and a ton of meditation playlists that you can use.
6. Don’t sleep too late (and don’t wake up too late)
Another huge tip for keeping your cool is to get a healthy amount of sleep, which is pretty much what every parent has ever told you growing up. But it’s so true. Part of keeping your cool comes from getting your studying done and staying on top of all the things you need to do, but it’s so hard to get that done if you’re going to bed at 3 AM, practically falling asleep on top of your textbook, and then waking up at 1 or 2 PM the next day, still tired. You’ll find that if you get a good amount of sleep and you go to bed at set times, you’ll be able to be so much more productive. Sleep is good. Don’t forget that.
7. Talk to people!!
This is definitely one of the biggest ones. During exam season, when all you can see are deadlines, formulas, and cue cards, you need to remember to get out there and socialize. You can’t stay in your room hidden underneath your papers and textbooks. Take some time for yourself and take those 30 minute or one-hour study breaks every so often to go get in your social time. Whether it’s over some food (tip #2), over a workout (tip #3), or something as simple as going for a walk with a friend by the lake, you’re giving yourself a break and you’re not depriving yourself of something that’s important, especially during times of stress and anxiety like exam season. When you’re out with you friend, feel free to really treat it like a break and don’t talk about school at all. Or on the flip side, a friend you can vent to about how much you hate studying and how much you hate your coursework can really help. Friendship and social interactions are key, so use them as best you can.